Cursed Blood
by Mailyn
Summary: New CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Jin has entrenched himself into an untouchable ivory tower. Xiaoyu is unable to forget him and she knows that the sixth Iron Fist Tournament is the only chance that she has left to save her friend. But the clock is ticking...
1. Beloved memories

**Title** : CURSED BLOOD

**Rating :** M

**Disclaimer **: Nothing belongs to me, everything is Namco's property

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_Hey guys ! Welcome to my Tekken fanfiction ! Just a little warning : I'm French, so I firstly wrote and published this story in French. Then, I got a review by Grace Yu, asking if it was possible to have it in English. So I tried to translate it as well as possible. My English is not perfect, but I will do my best to give you the best translation possible. Of course, there will probably be many mistakes left, so please, be lenient._

_I hope you will enjoy it !_

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**Chapitre I – Beloved memories**

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_Ling Xiaoyu was sitting on a bench, in a small and quiet park of Tokyo. _

_She had just had four hours of classes and had come to relax in this park she liked at lot. A book on her knees, wearing a light pink dress and a black cardigan, she seemed to be lost in her book but, from time to time, she would look up and watch closely around her, as if she was expecting someone._

_She was supposed to meet her friend Miharu who was late, as usual. The park was desert in that afternoon of autumn and Xiaoyu was enjoying the peace around her and the smooth weather. _

_After a long moment, while she was closing her book and looking up, she saw someone on the gravel lane which was running alongside the outside of the park. She thought it was her friend and she screwed up her eyes to see better, ready to yell at her for being so late._

_She felt like someone had just punched her in the chest…_

_Looking indifferent to anything, the young man, entirely dressed in black, with his hands in his pocket and his face bent down, was walking quickly. Suddenly, as if he had felt the young woman's gaze on him, he turned to face her and their eyes met for a brief moment. She felt breathless. He looked away and kept on walking, as if nothing had happened…_

_Electrified, Xiaoyu bounced on her feet, threw her book behind her and ran on his direction._

"_JIN !" she shouted._

_He did not answer, and did not turn either, but she was almost certain he had stiffened when she had called him. He crossed a pedestrian crossing and turned at the corner of a street. Xiaoyu ran even faster and, when she finally reached the street in which he had disappeared, she noticed with despair that it was a dead end, and an empty one. Out of breath, she moved forward, with the crazy hope to find Jin but she soon had to face the facts : he had vanished into thin air..._

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_._

It was the middle of the night, but her unexpected encounter with Jin was still fresh on Xiaoyu's mind, and she was tossing and turning in her bed. Unable to sleep, she got up and went to the kitchenette of her studio, careful not to wake Panda who was dead to the world in her big basket.

She poured some water in her little kettle and put a pinch of jasmine tea in a mug. The water started to boil and she went near her window, staring at the sky, lost in thought. When the kettle made a 'Bip', she turned to switch it off and pour the boiling water into her mug. Curls of white smoke rose up into the air. She stared at it during a moment then she sat on her sofa. Wrapping herself up warmly in a thick blanket, she turned on the little television laying on a piece of furniture.

As usual, the news channels were only showing images of war, destruction and violence. The late-night edition of the news she was watching was recounting the dreadful progression accomplished by the Mishima Zaibatsu in less than a year.

Ever since Jin had taken control of the multinational company, the world had plunged into horror. In command of the Tekken Forces, he had provoked war after war, liquidated almost all the governments and destroyed a lot of cities. In order to insure itself the word governance, the Mishima Zaibatsu had taken control of all the resources and raw material, such as oil and gas.

The media were muzzled, rebels were hounded and shot down and nothing seemed able to stop the chaos that was reigning over the planet. Thousands of people had died or disappeared after these atrocities. Tokyo, which housed the Head Office of the Mishima Zaibatsu, was under pressure, wholly controlled by the company. Soldiers patrolled relentlessly in the metropolis, at every street corner.

Like every time she was thinking about Jin, Xiaoyu felt her heart tighten in her chest. She could not believe that the young man she knew had changed to the point of being worse than Heihachi Mishima. For a long time, she had been making excuses to justify his actions, but she was losing hope bit by bit. She had tried many times to contact him, or meet him to talk to him, but she had failed every time.

Jin was untouchable. His bodyguards, Nina Williams and Eddy Gordo, were more effective than it seemed. Many people who had tried to approach him to get their revenge or talk to him had been eliminated.

Xiaoyu had naively thought he had remained her friend and that their relationship was still the same, but she had been gravely mistaken. She knew he had very few friends or not at all, but she thought he cared at least a little about her...

She turned off the television and got up to come near her desk on which a picture had pride of place. She took it. It was the picture Panda had given her at the end of the fourth Iron Fist Tournament. Jin and she, wearing their school uniforms, were smiling at each other while Panda was gazing before her with a wide smile.

Xiaoyu sighed, her heart feeling heavy.

If only she could turn back…

If only everything could be like it used to…

_._

_._

_She was 15 and had just arrived in Japan._

_Taken under the wing of Heihachi, she had enrolled at the Mishima Polytechnic High School and housed in one of the sumptuous apartments of the Mishima Financial Empire. Confused by the discovery of a country so different from hers, she was spending her days learning the language and going to classes. _

_One day, almost three weeks after her arrival, she decided to go training in order to limber herself up. She put on white sweatpants, a black sport bra and took a bottle of water and a towel with her. When she arrived in front of the door, she heard voices coming from the room and realized that two persons were fighting. Uncertain, she balked at entering then she softly pushed the door._

_Heihachi was standing in the middle of the room and a man was facing him. The room was very big, with light green tatami forming a square in the center, and sophisticated sport equipment on the sides. When the old man noticed her, he stopped and came near her._

"_Xiaoyu-chan, you have finally decided to give up your books!"_

"_Yes, Heihachi-sama, I was missing training."_

"_Hahaha ! Perfect, perfect! Jin, come here!"_

_The young man turned and obeyed. Xiaoyu could not stop staring at him. He was tall, as much as Heihachi and was very muscular. His black hair was spiked upwards, and some locks were falling on his forehead. But what stroke her more were his eyes, hazelnut eyes, gentle and melancholic_

"_Here is my grand-son, Jin Kazama", Heihachi continued. "Jin, this is Ling Xiaoyu."_

_They bowed. Xiaoyu kept her eyes on the floor, confused by Jin's closeness. He was looking at her without showing anything but impassivity._

"_Xiaoyu comes from China. She will take part in the tournament. She is going to live here with us and will attend the Mishima High School. Be kind with her!"_

"Yes_, grandfather," he answered in a quiet voice._

"_I have some business waiting for me, you two can just train together," Heihachi said before getting out of the room._

_They remained both silent before Jin finally said:_

"_How old are you?"_

"_Almost 16."_

"_You're quite young to take part in such a dangerous tournament."_

"_You cannot determine a good fighter by its age", the young girl said, "but by his ardor and willpower."_

_Jin seemed surprised by such an answer but he smiled._

"_You're right. You must be talented if my grandpa has decided to take you under his wing. What is your fighting style ?"_

"_Hakkesho and hikaken. And you ?"_

"_Mishima style karate… And Kazama style self-defense," he added with a hint of pride._

_Xiaoyu hesitated a little moment then asked him:_

"_Do you want to train with me? It's been a while since I haven't trained and I'm a bit out of shape," she added with an embarrassed laugh._

_He stared at her then nodded before going back to his kata. She started to warm herself up, and ran several laps of the room, before staying next to a wall. She began with stretching, especially with her legs. It was really important for someone practicing a fighting style like hers, which required a great suppleness. She did the three splits, staying several minutes in that position, so that her muscles became suppler._

_After a while, she got up and did the handstand, her body entirely straight, and she started to move forward slowly, going back and forth. Then she stopped and bent her arms, and started making some upside down pull ups. When she had done about fifty, she got on her feet, breathless and covered in sweat. She offered herself a few minutes of break and drank some water. Catching her towel, she dried the sweat on her forehead, lower back and belly. When she looked up, she saw that Jin was staring at her and she blushed._

_She turned and went back to her training, making many cartwheels and butterfly kicks. She finally got balanced on one leg and stock up the other behind her, so that her entire body would form an I. She did the same thing with the other leg and remained still, observing Jin._

_He exudes such a considerable power... but his moves lack fluidity, the young girl thought. However, he mustn't be giving everything he has right now, I'm sure he's terrifying in a real fight..._

_Entirely ready, she started her kata too. After a while, she turned her head. Jin was still staring at her, arms crossed and frowning. She frowned too. What was wrong?_

"_I understand better why you focused so much on warming up, and why it's based on stretching", he said slowly._

"_Suppleness is very important for kicks", she said. "The suppler you are, the higher you can kick."_

"_Suppleness and speed are precious weapons in a fight", he admitted, "but without power you'll just grow weary and your opponent will defeat you easily. Power is the most important thing…"_

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_._

Power…

How could she have known they would end up like this? His thirst for power was the only thing that was leading him since he had taken control over the Mishima Zaibatsu.

Xiaoyu was scared. Jin was increasing every day the number of enemies that wanted to kill him. Even if he seemed invincible, the young woman knew that one day, someone would manage to see through his defense. And she did not want to lose him. Even if he ignored and avoided her, living in a world in which he would not exist did not have any meaning for her.

She knew perfectly well that she was a fool to love him. But there was nothing she could do to go against her feelings. Her heart had chosen him, and she had to submit. She had kept it secret for years. Only Miharu had suspected it, and she was supporting her as much as she could. Sometimes, she just wanted to shout, shout endlessly, to get rid of the pain and sadness she was accumulating. Shout him she loved him with all her heart, all her soul. Shout him to let her be part of his life like before, not to abandon her.

But she could not.

She closed her eyes and started crying…

_._

_._

The next morning, Xiaoyu was awakened by the strident ringtone of her alarm clock. Still exhausted by her crying of last night, she rose with difficulty. She did not see the mug she had put on the floor and unfortunately stepped on it. She stumbled and fell on the ground, cursing, while the mug was rolling under a chair. She struggled to get up, grimacing. The sun was breaking through her window blinds and she felt less moody. Bringing all her strength, she went to take a shower, to wake up completely.

A quarter of an hour later, she was ready. Ever since she was at university, she was not required to wear uniform and she appreciated to be able to dress like she wanted. This morning, she was wearing skinny jeans, a white tank top and a black cardigan, a simple but convenient outfit because it would allow her to run or fight if necessary and, with the things as they were, it was more cautious. Seated in the kitchen, she was eating cereals while staring at Panda who was devouring her breakfast.

"You're eating like a pig!"

Panda growled, looking outraged, and Xiaoyu burst out laughing.

She gently scratched her head, put her bowl into the sink and went to brush her teeth. Catching her keys and her school bag, she wished a good day to Panda who had gone back to sleep, looking satisfied, and then she got out of her studio. She ran down the stairs, nearly felt, came out of the building and took the direction of the university.

Miharu and she were registered in the college of social studies. Miharu had always loved history and Xiaoyu was attending foreign languages classes. The advantage compared to high school was that they had fewer hours of classes and therefore could have more free time to work. Miharu had managed to be hired in the library of her college, which ensured her enough money to pay for her school fees. Xiaoyu was giving Chinese classes in a posh high school so that she could pay her rent.

When she had come to apply at university, she had been told that her fees had already been paid for the three years of her bachelor's degree. She had remained speechless, and when she had asked to know who had paid it for her, the secretary had looked frightened and had confessed that she could not reveal any name, otherwise she would be fired.

Xiaoyu had not insisted not to cause her any trouble but, deep down, she knew that there was only one person to be able to pay such a sum at once and to be able to put so much pressure on the university. Even if sometimes she was doubtful, she wanted to believe it was Jin.

When she arrived at the entrance, she saw that a crowd had been formed before one of the walls of the enclosure. Interested, she approached elbowing people out of the way. Students were boiling with excitement and she got snatches of conversation.

"Can you believe it! This is the sixth tournament!"

"I hope there will be fights in the street, it's so great to see them fighting!"

"Do you think Jin Kazama will participate?"

Her heart bounced in her chest when she heard the name of Jin and she frowned to see the large poster pasted on the wall. **KING OF IRON FIST TOURNAMENT 6**. Someone gave her a jog and she turned to see her friend Miharu.

"I tried to call you as soon as I saw the poster," she says. "You knew about it?"

Xiaoyu shook her head. Her mind was garbled. Why a new tournament so soon after the last one? Why Jin, who almost had total control of the world, was thus playing his position?

"You're gonna be part of it?" Miharu asked.

Xiaoyu remained silent a moment, then turned and pushed her way through the crowd. Her friend followed her without saying anything. When they were distant enough, she faced Miharu.

"It's the only way I have left to see him. I've tried everything so far."

"You really think you'll be able to approach him, even during the tournament?" the young woman, who had immediately understood that her friend was talking about, asked. "I'm sure the security will be reinforced around him, it's a very big risk he's taking."

"I know," Xiaoyu replied with a sad smile. "But I have nothing left to loose. This is my last chance. If I fail this time, I'll give up for good."

"Don't be so pessimistic," her friend told her with a smile. "I'm sure he'll listen to you. He'll have no choice, you can be really stubborn when you want to!"

Xiaoyu had a chuckle that did not sound genuine to her ears.

"The reception for the launching of the tournament is taking place in two weeks. You have time to get ready," Miharu added with a serious face. "Show him who you really are. You're 18, you're not the girl he has known anymore, you're a woman."

"I can't behave like a real woman with Jin…"

"Oh don't worry! I'll help you!"

"And that's supposed to be reassuring?"

"Bitch!"

Laughing, they moved towards the entrance of their college.

At the end of the day, Xiaoyu had entered into the King of Iron First Tournament 6...

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**TBC...**


	2. Missing you

_Thanks to all of you who have read the beginning of this fanfiction. And thank you to those who took the time to leave a review._

_Again, be lenient with my translation._

_Enjoy !  
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**Chapter II - Missing you**

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_The bell rang loudly and students packed up their things before getting out of the classroom. Jin was about to pass the door when his teacher called him._

"_Kazama-san, can I have a word with you ?"_

_Though surprised, Jin nodded and came closer to his teacher. Kawasu-sensei was a middle-aged man, teaching biology. He was strict with his students, but equitable. Jin appreciated him for this, but also for his fairness. Most teachers would treat him with respect because he was the grandson of Heihachi Mishima, the owner of the high school. However, Jin hated any preferential treatment._

"_I assessed your results in my subject since your arrival," the teacher began. "Hamasaki-sensei, your mathematics teacher, and Akira-sensei, your chemistry teacher, also gave me a review of those that you obtained with them. They are excellent."_

_Jin thanked him, a little embarrassed._

"_If it is not intrusive, may I know what you would like to do after high school?"_

"_I have not decided yet," Jin confessed. "But… I am very attracted by ecology and nature. If I could… I mean, if there is anything I could do in these areas..."_

"_I know the head of the department of environmental sciences of the University of Tokyo," the teacher said. "If you're still tempted by studies in this area, I could, with my two other colleagues, send him a letter of recommendation to support your application."_

_Jin remained stunned a moment before smiling._

"_I would be very grateful," he said with a bow._

"_You are an excellent student," Kawasu-sensei smiled. "I like to help those who have potential. Besides, who knows? Someday, you will surely become famous for yourself and for what you will achieve, not for to your relationship with Heihachi Mishima…"_

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_If he had known, Jin thought with bitterness, staring at the black sky. If Kawasu-sensei had known that his words would have become true…_

Leaning on the balcony of his room, Jin was staring at the city running under his eyes. He could not sleep. His mind was boiling.

He saw her.

Yesterday afternoon. After keeping an eye on her for so long, he knew she liked to go in this small park. He had gone there incognito. He had watched her read her book. She had not changed much since the last time he had seen her. She had looked lovely in her pale pink dress. He would have loved to go to meet her, sit next to her and act normally, as before. Only, it was impossible.

He had then looked away from her and had decided to leave. But she had looked up and had recognized him. He had heard her calling him and he had ran, because he could not talk to her. Then he had accelerated into a desert street and had vanished quickly.

He had a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair. His cell phone rang and he answered quickly.

"Yes?"

"It is done, Kazama-sama."

"Any resistance ?

"No, we bombed the building and the rebels came out immediately. Some of them died and some civilians were injured. The target has nevertheless managed to escape."

"It's okay, interrogate his men and continue the research."

"Understood, Kazama-sama."

He hung up, sighing again heavily. Sometimes, he really wondered about the validity of his actions. He was disgusted by all that. But he would eventually admit to himself that he had no other choices.

Since he had declared the independence of the Mishima nation, only forty countries had refused to be subjected to his yoke. He had thus entered into war against them. A war he watched from afar, leaving Eddy Gordo choreographing his troops and the Tekken Force to act.

The only snag was the rebels rallying to counter him, under the authority of his former captain. He had not expected his desertion and this news had hit him like a punch. Although his troops were ubiquitous, they would not always manage to dismantle the resisters networks. Bombings had occurred many times in Tokyo.

Soon, all this would be over. Soon, this nightmare would end and everything would be like before.

Like before…

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_He was in the refectory and was unpacking the bento he had bought on his way to high school._

_Seated alone at a table, he could hear the whispers around him and feel the gazes on him. He tried to ignore it. He knew that his relationship with Heihachi Mishima, the owner of the high school, had generated a lot of gossips and jealousy among the students who saw it as a privileged person. _

_Girls, on the contrary, seemed to fancy him, even if he did not really understand why. Maybe because he was taller and a bit more muscular than other boys of high school. Or rather because his grandfather was one of the richest men in the world…_

_Looking up, he recognized, at the bottom of the room, the girl with whom he had trained a few days earlier. Xiaoyu. He watched her moving forward in the crowded room, vainly seeking a free chair. Everybody refused that she sit at their table and she looked hurt at each refusal._

_Jin was amazed that she had no friends. She looked nice though, and she was smiling all the time. In general, students loved when a new girl arrived because they could ask her about her former institution, former town and make her discover the capital._

"_Bloody Chinese !' someone cried with a loud voice. "Go back to your country !"_

_She turned to face him, shocked. Several students burst out laughing and they threw her the same insult in her face. Jin felt his blood boiling in his veins. He knew that some teens were stupid, but he had no idea that they could be racist as well._

_His mother had told him that nationalism was very present in Japan, but he would have never thought that boys and girls of his age could think this way. This high school was private and the majority of its students came from well-off families, they nevertheless were all Japanese._

_Xiaoyu seemed on the verge of tears._

_He rose from his chair and approached her. The noise of his chair falling on the floor stopped the jeers and soon the room was totally silent. Everyone held his breath, waiting to see if the grandson of Heihachi Mishima was also about to make her miserable in public. When he arrived before her, he gently took the tray of her shaking hands._

"_There's a free chair at my table," he said in a gentle voice._

_And he turned around while she followed him without a word. He put her tray in front of her and pulled up her chair. She sat down, still silent, her head low. He sat too and started eating his meal. The conversations soon resumed and tension fell back._

_He felt strangely proud of himself. He was not like them; he had done the right thing._

_When he raised his head, he saw the young girl discreetly wiping her eyes and cheeks, her face turned to the wall, before facing him. Her eyes were red but filled with gratitude._

"_Thank you," she whispered._

_In response, he took a French fry from her plate, smiling._

_Ever since this day, no one had ever insulted Xiaoyu …_

_._

_._

Two weeks went by too fast to Xiaoyu's taste.

With her classes and her work, she did not see time passing. One night, as she was getting back home from a walk with Panda, an explosion had occurred, very close to them. Xiaoyu, by reflex, had thrown herself to the ground behind a car. A building had been partially destroyed by rocket shots from a military helicopter, and hunks of concrete of the size of boulders had invaded the streets. The Tekken Force soldiers had arisen from nowhere, taking control of the disaster area, prior to rushing into the building and coming out with several prisoners.

When she rose, still shaking, the young woman had seen Panda lying on the ground, with a bloody paw, moaning miserably. After having immediately taken her to a veterinarian who had found a broken paw, she had been taking care of her with concern for days, and had completely forgotten about the reception.

It was Miharu who reminded her about it during one of their ballads in her favorite park.

"We should go shopping tomorrow," she said, writing a message on her cell phone.

"Shopping? Why?" Xiaoyu asked.

Miharu stared at her with baleful eyes.

"Don't tell me you're attending the reception tomorrow night with your rags!"

Xiaoyu was about to reply sharply when her mind recorded the information. Reception... Reception. Reception means Jin. Her eyes grew wide and she slapped her hand on her mouth.

"OH NO! I totally forgot!"

"Well, lucky you: I'm here !"

"What am I gonna do? I have nothing to wear!" she cried, grabbing her friend's shoulders.

"Eh! Calm down! I've never been to a reception but I have a pretty good idea of the perfect outfit. Tomorrow I'll take you shopping and we'll find what you need, don't worry."

Xiaoyu did not reply and shifted her gaze. She went to sit on a bench and rested her chin on her bended knees. Her friend followed her and sat close to her.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid. It's been so long since I last saw him. I'm afraid I'm fooling myself. He's always considered me as a kid. I'm scared he would make fun of me…"

"That's an insult to my skills," Miharu smiled. "Seriously, Xiao, you have nothing to lose. Go and have fun. If he remains indifferent, well, too bad for him. There'll be plenty of people at this party that you like and who like you too. "

"You're right…"

But deep down, she could not help but being worried.

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Jin watched with distracted eyes his employees that were busy decorating the reception room of the Mishima Manor. He had left it to Eddy Gordo to oversee all of the preparation of the evening and he seemed to enjoy it more than being part of military operations.

Next to him, Nina Williams, fully dressed in black, was checking the list of the fighters. She hesitated, a burning question on her lips.

"Are you sure that accepting the candidacy of Ling Xiaoyu was a good idea?" she eventually asked.

"Refusing it would have aroused her suspicion."

"She's tried several times to contact you."

"I know."

"And she's coming tonight…"

"Turn to the fact," he ordered in an icy voice.

"I'm afraid she could thwart your plans."

"Why?"

"Whatever you want people to believe, I know you care about her. She could discover your motivations and try to prevent you from completing your… projects."

"To do so, she would have to know what my projects are in the first place. You and I are the only ones aware of it. There is no risk," he assured her with a soothing voice.

Nina noticed that he had not tried to deny his attachment to the young woman. She sighed and took her cell phone from her pocket before going on.

"G Corporation has put a price on your head. Apparently, Kazuya took control of it and has a large army of Jack at his disposal."

Like every time, Jin stiffened imperceptibly at hearing the hated name.

"He confirmed his presence at the tournament a little while ago, as you thought," she added.

"If he wants to kill me, it will be directly in singular combat. I'm starting to understand the way he thinks. He is not a coward."

He made a break.

"Speaking of coward, any news about Heihachi?"

"None for now. I order to broaden the scope of research."

"It is useless. Make a list of the fighters having any link with him and put them under high surveillance. He may come back during the tournament."

"Right. I also have to tell you that the Europeans are secretly gathering their nuclear weapons. They might attempt an attack against the headquarters of the Mishima Zaibatsu very soon."

"Make Russia intervene. They agreed to join us but this has not been disclosed. They can thus use the surprise effect. Provide them with all the weapons they need, but keep them under control. Given their strategic position, they will just have to bomb the European territory once to prevent a possible attack."

"Right."

She was about to get out when she froze, frowning, as if she was trying to remember something, then she turned to her boss. Jin looked at her, with raised eyebrows.

"If my memories are accurate," she began, "this Xiaoyu was Heihachi's ward when he brought her from China. Do I put her on the list?"

"No."

The answer cracked, dry as a whiplash. Nina bowed her head and left the room.

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Xiaoyu was relaxing in a warm bath.

Her day had been exhausting. Miharu and she had walked almost all the streets of the capital in search of THE shop. They had tried on lots of dresses and accessories. After founding what was appropriate for them, they had had tea with pastries to relax a little and had chatted and joked all the time. This outing was a great moment that had made them forget, for a while, the war and the upcoming martial arts tournament.

If she had to be honest with herself, Xiaoyu had to admit that she was stressed out. She apprehended to meet Jin and talk to him. She came out of the bathtub and put on a thick and soft bathrobe. After wrapping her wet hair in a towel, she took a nail clipper and began to carve out. Satisfied, she filed it and applied some clear top coat.

She looked at the clock. She still had an hour and a half left.

When her nails were dry, she took her hair dryer and carefully dried her hair. To her great disappointment, it remained desperately flat and stiff.

_Plan B, she thought. _

She curled her hair with the curling iron that Miharu had lent her and spread some camellia oil to make it shine, a secret that her mother had entrusted her when she was younger. She lightly brushed the rigid curls to relax it and went to her room.

Rubbing her arms, she grabbed a bottle of perfumed cream and put it on her body, massaging her dry skin. When she was satisfied, she put on underwear and the dress that Miharu had helped to choose. It fitted perfectly, neither too large nor too tight.

The shoes that her friend had also forced her to buy were in their box. She brought them out and sighed in despair. Lifting her head, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, smoothing out the folds of her dress.

She looked older, which pleased her, but she was not used wearing high heels. Moving her fingers in her shoulder-length hair, she brought it on one side and left it cascading in black curls on her right shoulder, leaving the other free.

Miharu had showed her how to apply make-up on her eyes before plunking on her couch. She therefore tried to reproduce her teachings and succeeded quite well, to her own astonishment. Fluttering her eyelashes, she examined herself from any angle and made a terrible grimace before smiling widely.

Her jewelry box was open, she took out two long pendants which seemed to be made in diamonds, but she had bought it in the **100 yen Shop** below her building. She grabbed her purse in which she slipped her cell phone, key and some money.

She came out of her room and went to join her friend who was watching TV series, gently caressing Panda's head resting on her thighs. She had agreed to look after the animal during the absence of Xiaoyu, which had reassured the young woman.

Miharu lifted her head when she saw her friend timidly coming out of her bedroom. A big smile curved her lips.

"I'm a genius," she said proudly.

"You were supposed to say I was beautiful," Xiaoyu answer ironically.

"Also, but a little auto congratulation doesn't hurt! I think I should give up university and become a stylist."

"Are you done?"

"I think I am! Seriously, Xiao, you're lovely," she assured her with a sincere smile.

"Am I?"

"Of course! Come here!"

She took her hands and made her sat close to her.

"You shouldn't feel uncomfortable," she said. "This dress and makeup only highlight your beauty ; it doesn't transform you into someone else. You're the same, you're just a little more sophisticated than usual. And tonight you'll show Jin another side of you. If he's too stupid to see further than the end of his nose, then forget about him !"

"Hum…"

"No hum!"

There were suddenly three knocks at the door and they jumped. While moving to the entry, Xiaoyu asked herself who that could be. She had her answer when she saw a man on the porch. He was tall and muscular, with clear chestnut hair which formed a complex hairstyle. He was wearing a gleaming black tuxedo and black bow tie. His gaze was sweet and he was smiling.

"Ling Xiaoyu?"

"Er… Yes…"

"Good evening," he said in tilting, "I'm Lars Alexandersson. I'm charged to accompany you at the reception hosted by the Mishima Zaibatsu."

"Oh… I didn't know I was going to be…"

"It is an order coming directly from Jin Kazama."

It nailed the beak of the girl who did not know what to think. Miharu gave her a bawdy look and Xiaoyu went back to the man facing her. He seemed nice and trustworthy. She regained her composure and smiled at him.

"Okay, I'm following you."

"You should take a warm garment," Lars advised her. "The nights are cold and it would be a pity that you get ill before the start of the tournament."

"On the contrary, a lot of people wouldn't mind," Xiaoyu retorted with a smile.

The man broke out laughing and Xiaoyu took advantage of this to go to her wardrobe, take out a black trench and put it on quickly.

"My,my… Who knew how very thoughtful that Jin could be?" Miharu said with a knowing voice.

"Shut up!" Xiaoyu panicked, for fear that Lars might hear them.

"Eh! Excellent choice with that trench! Sober, classy and timeless! You're getting better!"

Rolling her eyes, she kissed her, wished her a good evening and went out of her studio after fondling Panda's head. She closed the door and followed the man downstairs.

"Am I the only one having a particular driver?"

"I think you are. I've not heard other participants were to be accompanied."

"Oh. I am privileged then?"

"Seems like you are," Lars said with a smile.

When they came out, Xiaoyu overviewed a superb and gleaming black sedan parked before the building. Lars opened the door and she dived into it. He took place too and drove off quickly. Buildings were passing before her eyes and the young woman felt her stress rise. She exhorted herself to breathe deeply and calmly.

"You seem worried," Lars noticed.

"Yes, I always am when I'm attending a reception."

"It's not as terrible as it seems, you know," he said with a reassuring smile. "Just people chatting, eating and drinking."

"Yes, it should not be too complicated," she admitted with a laugh. "I'm especially hoping that I put on the correct outfit for this kind of evening."

The man glanced at her in the rearview mirror and went back to the road.

"From what I saw earlier, you don't have worry about your clothes. And I've heard that you've taken part in the previous tournaments, so you'll see people you're acquainted with."

"This is precisely what's making me nervous," she said sotto voce.

He remained silent, and she thought he had not heard her, but he resumed:

"Is it the prospect of seeing Jin Kazama that is scaring you ?"

Xiaoyu felt like she had received a blow to the stomach and she felt her face fading. How the hell could he know? Was it written on her forehead?

"What makes you think that ?" she asked to try to hide her disorder.

"Well, I've heard that the two of you went to the same high school and you were both involved in the same tournaments. I've even been told that you were friends. But since he has become CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu, you must have been… surprised by his recent actions and statements."

"Surprised is a euphemism," she answered, looking away.

"I agree with you, you know."

"Really ? I thought that the people working for him had to adhere to his ideas, under penalty of death."

Lars broke out laughing.

"This is true. Let's say it's our secret," he added with a wink.

Xiaoyu smiled, but her concern did not disappear. They remained silent for a moment before she talked again, while at a stoplight.

"Do you know why he's doing this ?" she asked in a small voice.

Her companion turned to watch her, frowning.

"This war, those bombings…" she explained.

"'I thought you could tell me."

It was her turn to frown.

"Me? How should I know?"

"Aren't you two friends?"

"I don't know," she replied while looking through the window. "I don't know anymore…It's been so long…I feel like I don't know him anymore…"

He stared at her, frowning, as if he wanted to read her mind.

"It's green," the young woman said.

"Sorry?"

"The green light."

He turned and resumed the operation of the vehicle. They stayed silent during the rest of the journey. Xiaoyu regretted revealing so much to this man whom she did not know. He did not have the type profile of an employee of the Mishima Zaibatsu. He was friendly, nice and easily put in confidence. The opposite of what she expected.

After a while, she noticed that they were approaching a huge portal, guarded by about twenty soldiers armed to the teeth. The car slows and a soldier approached Lars's door. He lowered the window.

"I'm accompanying Ling Xiaoyu."

The soldier stared at him for a moment, then nodded and made a sign to his colleagues. They opened the portal and the car went forward.

The Mishima Manor stood at the end of the alley covered of gravel, huge and imposing building, entirely made of dark stone. Two helicopters were flying over it and Xiaoyu felt her heartbeat speed up. Her hands began to shake slightly and she gripped her purse to calm her tremors. The car stopped finally to the porch where several butlers were waiting. A blood-red carpet covered the white marble staircase leading to the entrance of the mansion.

"Well, I wish you a good evening, Ling-san," said Lars turning to face her.

"Thank you but… You're not attending the reception?"

"No," he replied, smiling. "I have a lot of work waiting for me. But say hello to Jin Kazama."

"If I see him, I will," she said with a green smile.

One of the butlers opened the door to let her out.

"See you soon, and thank you again," she said.

"You're welcome. We will meet again soon," he assured her.

She frowned but left without replying. The car started off and quickly departed.

"If you please, follow me," the butler asked her.

She followed him to the entrance. Her heart was pounding, but she forced herself to move. During a brief moment, she considered turning and flee. But she eventually collected all her courage and marched in the building…

.

.

**TBC...**


	3. Hope & Disappointment

_Thank you very much to everyone who took the time to read this fanfiction, and to _**_Grace Yu_**_ and _**_Samantha_**_ ( your French is good, but the correct translation would be : "J'adore cette histoire car elle est intéressante et géniale" ) who let me a review._

_Here's the new chapter._

_Enjoy !_

* * *

**.**

**Chapter III - Hope & Disappointment**

**.**

**.**

_The insult was playing endlessly in her mind, violent and painful._

"_Bloody Chinese ! Go back to your country!"_

_It was the first time she had been prejudiced against. Her parents had warned her that leaving China for Japan would not be a pushover, but she would have never thought that her peers would reject her because of her origins._

_Only Jin had been kind. His gesture in the canteen, had assured the tranquillity of the girl for her upcoming education. She knew that Jin had no friend in this high school, but he did not realize how important his influence was._

_Three knocks on her door made her startle. She quickly wiped away her tears and her wet nose and went to open._

_Jin was standing on the porch, look impassive, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. She felt her heart jump in her chest and she felt ashamed of the threadbare and inform pyjamas she was wearing. He stared at her, imperceptibly frowning._

"_You shouldn't cry for such a little thing," he finally said._

_Xiaoyu gazed at him, taken aback._

"_I'm not saying that what they said wasn't serious, but if you let these idiots hurt you, you will be crying all your life. Don't let things get you down. Be stronger than them."_

_She remained dazed for a moment, unable to believe her ears. She would never have thought that he would care so much about her. He looked embarrassed by his words and slightly reddened._

"_Do you want to come in?" she offered._

_He hesitated a moment, then nodded and enter her room. Hands crossed behind his back, he watched carefully everything surrounding him. There were not much things, as Xiaoyu had arrived not very long ago, but it was the first time he entered a girl's room. He stopped before a picture representing an old man wearing a Chinese costume and holding a younger Xiaoyu in his arms._

"_Is he your grandfather?" he asked._

"_Yes, his name is Wang Jinrei."_

"_You look very close."_

'_He's the one who raised me and taught me martial arts. My parents were travelling a lot because of their jobs and they would rather me to stay with my grandfather."_

_Jin nodded._

"_And you?" she asked. "Have you always lived with your grandfather?"_

_He slightly stiffened and Xiaoyu regretted her question._

"_I used to live with my mother at Yakushima," he eventually answered. "It's an island in the South of Japan," he explained. "I've never known my father. My mother died when I was fifteen and then I came to live with my grandfather."_

"_Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."_

"_It's okay."_

_He move forward to the balcony and rested his elbows on the balustrade, watching the black sky. Xiaoyu followed him silently and sat on the chair she had put against the wall. They remained silent a moment, without being bothered by it._

"_Why do you want to participate in the tournament?" he finally asked._

"_I need money."_

"_Money? But why? "_

"_To build the biggest amusement park in the world!"_

_He stared at her for a moment, frowning, before bursting of laughter. Xiaoyu did not even think of being offended in front of this vision. It was the first time she had seen him laugh and she could not helping gazing at him as he was glowing._

"_Sometimes, I forget you're still a kid," he said with a loving smile._

_Outraged, she stood up and kicked him. He wanted to pounce on her but she narrowly avoided him and leaped into her room to go hiding behind her desk. He had an amused smile on his lips and tried to jump over the piece of furniture but, as quick as lightning, she had opened the door and was running in the corridor._

_When she looked over her shoulder, she saw he was chasing her._

"_Who's the kid now?" she cried, laughing._

_Without knowing where she was going, she took the stairs and raced it four by four, nearly breaking her neck. Her room was located on the twelfth floor, and she still had a lot of steps down to the ground floor but she speeded up._

"_It's useless to run!" Jin cried behind her. "I'll eventually catch you !"_

"_You're too old for that, grandpa!" she retorted, sticking out her tongue._

_He looked outraged and speeded up. Once at the bottom of the stairs, Xiaoyu took a sprint along the corridor leading to the entrance hall. She rushed into the leaf of the revolving doors under the stunned eyes of the guards who looked even more surprised to see Jin running after her. He threw himself in the second leaf and stared at her through the window, a smile on his lips. They were sweating and took advantage of this little break to catch their breath. The panel gave her access to the outside and she ran to the Ueno Park located in front of the Mishima building._

_Apart from a few homeless people sleeping on the benches, it was desert at this hour and, after crossing a stone bridge at the speed of light, the young girl threw herself into a thick bush. She remained perfectly motionless, breathing as silently as possible, on the watch. _

_For a long moment, she wondered if Jin had not abandoned, as she could not hear nor see anything._

_A dark mass suddenly rose before her and she screamed with fear. Two arms curled up around her and she felt raised from the ground. She grabbed by reflex the neck of her abductor and recognized Jin, smiling widely. Troubled by their proximity, she tried to escape but he was firmly maintaining her._

"_I told you I would catch you," she whispered in her ear. "Now it's time to pay!"_

_He began walking, despite Xiaoyu kicking him to get back on her feet. If she had to be honest with herself, she had to admit that she felt good in his arms and she would have loved to stay longer in that position. The skin of his neck was soft under her fingers and his t-shirt smelled good. Only, she did not want to let him see that she liked him. She was not even entirely sure of what she felt._

"_I'm sorryyyyyyyyyyyyy !" she whined._

"_It's not enough."_

"_Forgive me!"_

"_Not enough."_

"_Kazama-sama, light of my life, I'm begging for your forgiveness!"_

"_You've really improved your Japanese," he noticed with a smile._

"_Does that mean I am forgiven?" she asked with eyes full of hope._

"_No."_

"_We look ridiculous!" she groaned. "Put me down!"_

"_Certainly not! Moreover, even if I put you down, you would still look ridiculous with the rags you're calling "pyjamas"!"_

"_You know what my rags are telling you?"_

"_That it's time for a bath!"_

_And he dropped her in the ornamental lake of the park. When her head emerged, coughing and spitting, she started to flap her arms, causing turmoil and splashing water._

"_I can't swim!"_

_From hilarious, Jin's face became frightened, and he plunged without hesitation. When he resurfaced, he quickly swam up to the young girl. But he stopped sharp when he saw her staring at him with a mocking smile, her screams and disorderly movements having ceased._

"_You…"_

_Xiaoyu broke out laughing before his furious look. He eventually cheered and joined her in a few fathoms. She was floating on her back, with her arms and legs widely spread, staring at the sky. He did the same and they remained silent, catching their breath. The moon was shining through the threes, and an owl hooted gently. She felt so well in the water, she could have stayed there all night, even have slept there. _

"_Thank you," Jin suddenly said in a soft voice._

_Xiaoyu slightly turned her head to watch him._

"_Why do you thank me?"_

"_For making me feel alive. I almost forgot what it was like," he added with a strangely melancholic voice._

"_I'm not doing it every night…"_

"_I know, you'd be exhausted too quickly in the long run."_

"_I said it out of respect for your great age."_

"_Hey! I'm only eighteen!"_

"_That's precisely what I'm saying : you need to be handled carefully…"_

_He laughed then threw her head under the water. While she was emerging, sneezing and spitting with all her strength, he was standing on the waterside, watching her with a smirk. His soaked clothes were clinging to his skin and his wet hair was falling before his eyes. She would have loved to contemplate him longer but he ran off._

"_Let's see if my great age will help you to catch me!"_

_Amazed, Xiaoyu got out of the ornamental lake and ran after him…_

_The next morning, Heihachi gave them a hell of a telling-off but, as they were pretending to look guilty, they exchanged a look of complicity…_

_._

_._

When she entered the hall of the Manor, Xiaoyu had a strange feeling. A bad and unhealthy atmosphere was filling the place and she could not help but shiver. The room was large, illuminated by candelabras clinging to the walls and the floor was covered with a red tapestry.

"May I take your coat?" the Butler who had escorted her asked.

"Yes, thank you," she answered him, giving it to him.

He carefully folded it on his forearm and gave her a sign to follow him. They walked in a small corridor which led them to a closed room, guarded by two employees in black suits. Large and massive they had auricles and dark glasses. Xiaoyu hardly prevented herself from a strong desire to burst of laughter, feeling almost sure that they would barely appreciate that she made fun of them.

"Your invitation," one of them ordered.

The young woman opened her purse and took the small invitation card she had received a few days after her registration. The man took it, read it carefully and nodded.

"I have to check the contents of your purse and my colleague is going to frisk you," he informed her.

Xiaoyu frowned but nevertheless handed the purse to the guard. The second one approached her with a device he was holding and she realized with relief that he was not going to touch her, and she would not have to undress. He asked her to spread her legs and arms, which she did, and he brushed the aircraft before each part of her body.

The young woman knew that she had nothing dangerous on her, but she wondered what they would have done if they had discovered a hidden weapon in her dress, before changing her mind: it was better not to imagine… When they were done, they thanked her and she got her purse back. One of them opened the heavy door, wished her a good evening and she was towed inside.

The music caught her attention first, jazz music mixed with the conversations between people. Then the room itself, large, more that she had imagined.

The walls were white, with black candlesticks hanging between the enormous windows. The parquet floor was gleaming and two long tables covered with pristine white tablecloths were arranged on each side of the room, against the walls. A plethora of delicacies was prepared; specialities from different countries, as well as many bottles of champagne that seemed to be very expensive.

An orchestra composed of a pianist, a trumpeter, a drummer, a bassist and a singer, all dressed in white, was standing on a stage at the bottom of the room. A few people were danced to the rhythm of the music.

In the centre of the ceiling, a majestic candelabrum covered with candles was illuminating the vast room.

Before such luxury Xiaoyu stood aghast, wide-eyed. She forced herself to move among the guests. All of them were elegantly dressed, and she mentally thanked Miharu for forcing her to wear this dress.

She had barely made two steps and she found herself assailed by someone she had been looking forward to see.

"Hwoarang !" she exclaimed, hugging him.

"Aaaah I know, my charm is irresistible!" he said with a falsely bored voice.

The young woman burst out laughing. She immediately felt better, less uptight in his presence. They had got along very well during the third tournament, being the youngest fighters, with Jin, to participate. Hwoarang always made her laugh with his preposterous tales. She was the only one with whom he was behaving nicely, considering her as a little sister.

"How long have you been there?" she asked him.

"About ten minutes but this party just sucks!"

He let his hands rest on her shoulders and stared at her from top to toe, with raised eyebrows.

"Wow," he simply said. "I... Wow..."

"How eloquent," she gently mocked, flattered by his reaction.

"You need to understand me, until now, I had always thought you were born with pigtails and neon bracelets!"

She punched him, laughing.

"Seriously, you are gorgeous," he smiled with sincerity.

"Thanks, and you... you're still your same old self," she said, noticing that his outfit, destroyed jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket was nothing of an evening attire.

"The hell if I'm ever dressing up like a penguin to please Kazama! But thank you anyway, I take it as a compliment!"

"It's been so long! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Me too," he said with a smile. "I've been pretty busy with my training, but I've thought about you a lot. So, tell me. What's up?"

"Nothing much," she answered, shrugging. "The drill. Classes. Training. Training. Classes."

"Fascinating indeed."

"When did you arrive in Japan?"

"Yesterday night."

"But where are you staying at?"

"Hotel. Everything is paid by Kazama, and I intend to make the best of it, trust me! I already have two empty mini-bars on my sheet!"

Xiaoyu burst out laughing.

"You know, I often watch the news," he said more seriously. "And, with the situation as it is, I guess living in Tokyo has become difficult. Do you hold out?"

She shrugged.

"Like everybody," she answered. "I don't really have a choice."

"How's Panda?"

She told him about the accident that had occurred a few days ago, and about Panda's health. Hwoarang was frowning, with a disgusted grimace on his lips.

"That's because of that bloody Kazama!" he cried. "I knew he was a messed up git, but not that much..."

Xiaoyu only had a resigned shrug and sigh.

"Do you think they're going to tell us something about the tournament?" she asked.

If Hwoarang noticed the change of subject, he made no comment, understanding that the "Kazama" topic was sensitive for the young woman. They chatted cheerfully during a few minutes, making forecasts about the upcoming fights. Then, the music stopped and the conversations ceased little by little.

The musicians left the platform and, naturally, all the people came near it. Xiaoyu noticed that many journalists were present, and also people she did not know but who did not look like fighters.

The back door she had not noticed opened. Many security guards wearing black tuxedo came in, then she recognized Jin's inner circle, composed of Nina Williams and Eddy Gordo.

He finally appeared.

She felt her heart pounce in her chest and she noticed that many people had tensed up. Photos were snapped all around as Jin was moving to the platform.

"He's so handsome," a woman standing before her murmured to her friend and Xiaoyu could not help but mentally agree.

He was wearing black immaculate trousers, a grey shirt with unbuttoned collar and a long leather jacket. Even if he looked impassive, he was exuding a tremendous power.

"Good evening to all of you," he started with a silky voice. "Thank you for coming to the opening of this sixth King of Iron Fist Tournament..."

.

.

"Good job," Nina told him as he was getting off the platform.

"I hate making speeches," he retorted.

"As a CEO, you have no choice."

He had a long sigh.

"I'll take a turn."

She followed him and gave Eddy Gorgo a sign so that he joined them. He fluttered around, shaking hands and talking briefly with those who dared. More than half of the people in the room wanted him dead, however, he did not care. He was straying and he seemed absent minded.

He has been scanning the room for half an hour when he turned to face Nina, frowning.

"Ling Xiaoyu isn't here. Send some men at her home, something must have happened."

Nina looked at him as if he had gone mad.

"What are you talking about? She arrived almost an hour ago."

It was Jin's turn to look at her strangely.

"I would have recognized her if she was there."

"Obviously not," she retorted with an ironic smile. "She's in deep conversation with your friend Hwoarang. Apparently, they are closer than I thought," she added with a thoughtful voice, staring at them.

Jin turned at once to look for them. He overviewed his rival, who had decided to act like a rebel and had judged useless to wear evening attire. Seated in a corner in the back of the room, he was laughing with a young woman who had her back before him. He really doubted it was Xiaoyu, but he moved forward anyway. Plates filled with appetizers were surrounding them and they were chatting with animation, face to face.

Jin felt a disagreeable weight in his chest and felt irritated about it.

"Look who's there! Kazama honoured us with his presence!" the Korean man said to his companion, jumping on his feet.

The latter quickly turned and Jin had to call for all his self-control to remain emotionless before the young woman facing him. She was wearing a black bustier dress, which was mid-thigh length and very simple, but which fitted her like a glove. She had put on leopard peep-toe high heels. Her hair was falling on one shoulder in big black curls and she had long and shinning earrings.

"Good evening," he said, bowing.

"Good evening," she answered, doing the same.

"Oy! Kazama!" Hwoarang harangued him. "Heard your dad promised a million bucks for your capture!"

Xiaoyu gave him a furious look but Jin did not pay him any attention, still staring at the young woman.

"Oy! I'm talking to you!"

"Sounds more like barking to me," he retorted.

The red-haired man's face reddened with anger and he clenched his fists.

"Repeat that!"

"And hearing-impaired as well."

"You fucking..."

"Shut up!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, trapped between the two rivals. "For heaven's sake, are you two unable to act like grown-ups?"

Hwoarang ignored her and gently pushed her on the side to get near Jin. The latter was staring at him with a mocking smile on his lips.

"Get ready to bite the dust! I'll beat the shit out of you!"

"It's the same old thing every time," Jin sighed, looking desperate. "It's time you got over it."

"Not before I see you begging me to finish you off!"

"You defeated me once already," the young man answered with annoyance. "What else do you want?"

"Xiaoyu, spending too much time with his ass glued on his throne had made your boyfriend spineless! Can't you convince him?"

Jin felt his heart pounce and noticed the young woman had stiffened, her delicate face blushing.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she talked back between her teeth, giving Hwoarang a murderous glare.

"Oh please! Gimme a break!"

Judging by her burning cheeks and her clenched fists, Xiaoyu was both ashamed and furious and was obviously struggling not to punch the idiot she called a friend.

"I'll get myself a drink," she grumbled, shaking her head.

"Bring me one too!" Hwoarang cried.

"Go to hell!"

And she went to one of the tables where she poured herself a large glass of champagne. Jin, leaving behind him a mocking Hwoarang, joined her. She had her back turned and he could see her neck muscles were blanching.

"I didn't think you would participate in a new tournament," he said softly.

"Why not?" she retorted.

"Well, you have your studies. You don't want to build amusement parks anymore, do you?"

She turned to face him.

"You want to know why I applied?"

He nodded, nevertheless fearing her answer.

"For what we're doing at this very moment. Talking," she explained. "We're talking. I've tried to do that several times during those past months but it was impossible to approach you. I would have understood if it was your father, but it was just me! I'm not a threat, for crying out load!"

"I'm a very busy man," he replied with a dry voice to hide his feeling of guilt. "I don't have time to lose with all those who want to talk to me."

She looked hurt for a short moment but quickly got over it.

"Yes, I saw on TV that your concerns are definitely different from mine. If you'll excuse me," she said with a cold voice, taking two glasses of champagne, "I'm very busy too, I have a friend waiting for me!"

And without saying anything more, she left to join Hwoarang. Jin had a long sigh and ran a weary hand in his hair. He regretted behaving like that with her, but he had no choice.

"Kazuya and Heihachi won't come," Nina said, after waiting for Xiaoyu's departure to approach. "Apparently, they prefer not to take the risk to show up before the opening of the tournament."

The young man nodded and walked away in her company. They still had a lot of work. He couldn't help but taking one last look at the young woman who was hitting on the head a hilarious Hwoarang…

.

.

"I'm fed up with this bourgeois evening!" Hwoarang cried to Xiaoyu with a somewhat too loud voice, making several people turn. "I'm off!"

It has been a good hour they were debating. They had eaten everything that was eatable in the room, and were trying not to fall asleep.

"How are you going to do to return?" the young woman asked.

"I came with my motorbike. You want me to drive you back?"

She hesitated a moment.

"Yes, I'm coming with you. I'll just get my coat."

"I'm waiting outside, I'm gonna have a smoke!"

He immediately strode off, knocking over a tray of champagne flutes on the ground. He bumped into a few people who protested with an outraged air, but to whom he did not pay the slightest attention. Xiaoyu giggled at his attitude and collected the plates and glasses that they had taken to put it on one of the tables.

She turned to see where Jin was and found him in deep conversation with several men looking important, surrounded by his bodyguards. Imperceptibly shaking her head, she turned and got out of the room. The guards greeted her and she wished them a good evening. Her feet were aching and she was hoping she would be able to ride Hwoarang's motorbike with her tight dress. Deep down, she was relieved that everything had gone pretty well, she had worried for nothing.

She was crossing the small hallway when a powerful hand grabbed her arm, making her cry in surprise and stopping net. She quickly turned to face Jin who looked, for some reason, pretty pissed.

"Where are you going?" he asked her with a tense voice.

"Home."

"With that jerk?

"He's just driving me back! Besides, I don't have to justify myself!" she retorted, trying to escape from his grip.

She threw a glance at the side and noticed that the guards had disappeared from their position. Certainly on Jin's order…

"Did you come together?"

"Huh? What's with the stupid questions?"

"Answer me!"

"One of your employees picked me up!" she cried, at the end of her tether. "'It is an order coming directly from Jin Kazama !'" she mimicked with a deep voice. "You don't even remember?"

"An employee? Who?"

"Some Lars Alexandersson… He says 'Hello' by the way…"

She managed to clear her arm from his fist and turned to finally join Hwoarang. But she was violently pinned against a wall and she had a cry of pain when her head hit it.

"What did he tell you?" Jin asked with a strained voice.

"What the…"

"WHAT DID HE TELL YOU?" he shouted.

Frightened, Xiaoyu remained silent for a moment, wide-eyed. She had never seen him upset after her like that. He had caught her by the shoulders and she was literally nailed to the wall. His eyes were darker than usual and she could feel hatred emanating from him. His neck muscles were tense and his jaws were violently gritted.

"He thought that I knew why you started this war, although I have no idea," she eventually confessed with a shaking voice. "He… He thought we were friends…"

"And what was your answer?" he asked with a softer voice.

"That I didn't know if we were, because I didn't recognize you," she replied, looking at him right in his eyes, her teeth gritted.

He looked affected for a brief moment by what she had told him. Suddenly realizing what he was doing done, he released her immediately and took a step away.

"Forgive me."

"For what? Considering me like an enemy or mistreating me?"

"That man… Lars… He can be dangerous…"

"He hasn't done anything to me at all!"

"You're so naive that he made you believe anything! You got on his car while he could have done God knows what to you!"

"You should keep your big mouth shut, Jin, because from the two of you, he's the only one who's behaved perfectly well with me tonight!" she replied with a sharp voice, noticing the bruise on her arm.

Jin looked guilty and lowered his head.

"This man was my former captain," he continued. "He deserted and organized a rebellion against me."

"He may not be totally wrong, you know," she said softly, staring deep into his eyes. "I'm doing my best to trust you, really, but sometimes I doubt."

The young man looked shaken by her words. They remained silent a long time, staring at each other.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked with a shaking voice. "I'm trying so hard to make excuses for you, but none can justify the evil you're propagating."

"I…"

"You hate the Mishimas, yet you're acting exactly like them!"

"Don't talk about what you don't know!" he spat. "You have absolutely no idea of what's going on!"

"Then tell me!"

He shook his head, his jaws gritted.

"It's none of your business!"

That answer rekindled the young woman's anger. She broke out of a cold laughter.

"It's easy to say that when you're hiding behind an army of soldiers, Jin. You're so disconnected from reality that you can't realize that. But people like me, who didn't ask for anything, we are the ones living sick with fear every day."

He would open his mouth to replicate, but she cut him.

"Do you know that Panda and I defied death a few days ago when your army bombarded a building downtown? She only had a paw broken by the rubble. Fortunately, otherwise I would have never forgiven you."

"I didn't know…" he said, visibly taken aback.

"Of course you didn't," she simply said. "Power went to your head. People's lives have no importance for you, as long as you can rule the world."

He lowered his head and had a long sigh.

"So. If the examination is finished, I'm leaving," she resumed with a cool voice. "Thank you for this wonderful evening!"

Turning on her heels and proceeding to walk away toward the exit, she was trying to calm her shudders. She was so angry and disappointed! This confrontation had drained her. She could feel tears in her eyes but she would not cry before him, she would not make a fool of herself.

"Xiao…"

She stopped short. He had just called her by the nickname he gave her in high school. Biting her lips to the blood, she turned to face him. He was holding her black trench coat and was coming forward to give it to her. She would have liked to snatch it out of his hands, slap him and leave, but she was too tired for that. She was fed up with fighting with him.

"I have a question."

He nodded.

"Did you pay my university fees?"

He remained silent, staring at her with inexpressive eyes.

"I knew it," she sighed. "And I suppose you're not gonna tell me why?"

"You said 'a question'", he retorted with a shadow of a smile.

"I forgot you liked to play with words," she admitted while moving to the exit.

She only wanted to leave this place and huddle up in her bed to cry her eyes out.

"One last thing," he said with a deep voice.

She repressed a bored sigh and turned with raised eyebrows. He was staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time, his gaze moving from her feet to her head, so intense that she blushed. Then he had a smile that pierced her, a smile that reminded her of the former Jin Kazama.

"You are beautiful."

And, before she could even get over this unexpected compliment, he stormed into the reception room and vanished in a second.

She stayed in the hall like an idiot, stunned.

It was Hwoarang who dragged her from her dreams and dragged her outside, swearing like a trooper.

The tournament was to begin in two days...

.

.

**TBC...**


	4. First battle

_Again, a big thank you to all the people reading this fanction, and to _**_Grace Yu _**_( I don't mind, on the contrary, thank you for doing it ), _**_Xiaoyin Lover_**_, _**_Gamehead64_**_, _**_Djsakura_**_ and _**_Arrocha Semotis Vir_**_ ( I changed the quotation marks as you said ) who took the time to let me a review. Your support helps me a lot._

_I really hope you'll enjoy this new chapter._

* * *

.

**Chapitre IV – First battle**

_._

_._

_Xiaoyu was desperately searching the answer of the question her mathematics teacher had just asked her when the bell rang. She repressed a sigh of relief but the teacher looked daggers at her._

"_You won't always be lucky, Ling-san. Besides, you'll give me the answer to that question tomorrow without a fault!"_

_The students giggled. Cursing in her mind, the young girl picked up her stuff and went out of the classroom, upset. Math was undoubtedly the worst subject of all. She could not understand why she had to study it._

_She went down the stairs and walked to the playground, looking for a quiet place where to have lunch. She had spent her evening trying to make a bento, not wanting to go back to the canteen after what had happened a few days ago._

_She was turning to a quiet corner of the playground when she recognized Jin, sitting against a wall, surrounded by crazy girls who all wanted to sit next to him. He seemed taken aback before the catfight between the young girls and Xiaoyu thought he was a really pitiful sight._

_He eventually noticed her and desperately glanced at her. Struggling not to burst out laughing, she skipped along to join him._

"_Jin-pôn !" she exclaimed._

_The cacophony stopped immediately at hearing the nickname she had used and Jin stared at her with wide eyes, astonished by her daring. Xiaoyu took advantage of it to pounce on the young man who was too surprised to react and to kiss him warmly on the cheek, provoking the amazement of the girls around them._

"_I've been looking for you everywhere," she continued as if nothing had happened. "You haven't forgotten that you invited me to the restaurant?"_

"_Hum… No, sure, I haven't forgotten…" he stammered._

"_Let's go then!"_

_He stood up, dusted his trousers, grabbed his bag and she grabbed his arm before walking away from the dozen of dazed girls who could not believe their eyes. They crossed the playground, making students look at them with wide eyes._

"_I think everyone has understood, you don't have to crush my arm," Jin eventually said._

"_A simple "thank you" would have been enough."_

"_Thank you," he said with a genuine smile. "What a nightmare these girls are!"_

"_You should be flattered to have so many fans, you know."_

"_Maybe… But they are not interested in me. It's my grandfather's money that attracts them."_

"_You are harsh. There is surely one who really loves you."_

_Jin blushed and looked embarrassed by the turn their conversation had taken._

"_I don't have the time for such things," he resumed a more measured voice. "My priority is the tournament."_

"_One does not rule out the other," the young girl tried._

_The young man scowled, looking solemn. Understanding that he would not say more on this subject, Xiaoyu tried to lighten the atmosphere._

"_Anyway, you're in peace now."_

"_After you little show, I'm not so sure about that," he retorted with a mischievous look. "But did you really have to call me like that before them?"_

"_Judging by their reaction, I don't regret it!"_

"_And kissing me was also essential, I suppose?"_

_Xiaoyu felt ashamed and lowered her eyes. She had gotten carried away and had acted without thinking. But she absolutely did not regret having dared to do this, on the contrary, she felt strangely proud of herself._

"_Well… I had to play the game…"_

_Jin stared at her without saying anything, then he curled up his arm around her waist to press her against him and kissed her temple, without stopping walking. The young girl had the impression that her face was burning and she looked at him. He gave her teasing smile._

"_You're right; we must play the game…"_

_They broke out laughing and they came out of the high school with an excellent mood. To thank her, Jin invited her to one of the best Chinese restaurants of the capital, to Xiaoyu's delight …_

_When they returned to school an hour and a half later, stuffed, everybody knew that Jin Kazama and Ling Xiaoyu were dating…_

.

.

It was her cell phone ring which drew her out of her sleep. Groaning and grumbling, she raised her hand to catch the damn phone, unable to open her eyes. After a few seconds, she managed to catch it and answered.

"Hello?"

"Ouh! Sounds like someone had a crazy night!"

Xiaoyu sighed deeply.

"Hwoarang…"

"What's with the zombie voice? You sound like that good old Kazuya!"

"No wonder why you're single if you say stuff like that to women…"

"Humph…"

Judging by the sound of his voice, the young woman knew that he was quite upset by her joke.

"Well… I suppose you have an excellent reason to wake me up?"

"Yep! Tonight, tomorrow's fights schedule will be announced to everyone, so come to the Mishima hotel at eight sharp! And a formal outfit is required!"

Glancing at her alarm clock, she felt like murdering the so-called friend at the end of the line.

"And you're waking me up at six thirty in the morning to tell me that something is taking place at eight in the evening, while you could have sent me a message ?" she asked with a voice full of hatred.

"And miss your so melodious voice?"

"Go to hell!"

"After kicking Kazama's ass!"

"Here we go again…"

"I hope he didn't bother you last night by the way? May I remind you that you left me kicking my heels during a quarter of an hour in the cold?"

"Poor you, do you want a medal?"

"Xiaoyu…"

"He just wanted to talk about the good old days," she lied. "Nothing serious."

"Hum, he's really weird!"

"And you're bugging me!"

"I know, but I'll find peace only after defeating him!"

"You know, if I were you, I'd start to ask myself some serious questions."

"What do you mean?"

"Your being endlessly single, your obsession for Jin… Homosexuality isn't a curse, you know…"

She giggled at hearing him strangling, then crow incomprehensible insults and she eventually hang up. Turning off her phone for more security, she curled up into her blanket and went back to sleep, a smile on her lips...

_._

_._

It was six thirty when Xiaoyu's classes ended.

Worn out, she went back to her place and collapsed into her sofa. Panda had gone to have a walk with Miharu and she had to be at the Mishima Hotel in an hour and a half; so she had the time to rest five minutes. Removing her shoes, she lifted comfortably, sighing with relief and closed her eyes.

When she reopened them, a little groggy, she threw a glance at her clock and had a masterful jump.

Seven thirty.

She was in deep trouble. The Mishima hotel was not far from her studio, but she had to change! Hwoarang had said "formal dress required" and she could not get there with her wrinkled and smelly clothes. Considering how lucky she was, she would be driven back! Jin would be there and she wanted him to see her at her best.

Cursing against the ridiculous dress code, she took off her clothes and rushed into the shower. She soaped all over, rinsed and dried herself, as quick as a flash before running to her wardrobe in front of which she hesitated a few minutes.

Finally, she quickly put on underwear, a pair of opaque black tights, a light black polka dot silk dress, which was a little above the knees and her black trench. She put on black flats and stared at her mirror.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she let her hair down, parted her bang to the side and made a simple bun, leaving some free locks to frame her face. The result was rather good; she even unpretentiously thought she had a small resemblance with Barbie Hsu, her favorite actress.

She sprayed some perfume on her neck before rushing to take her bag and getting out of her studio.

Seven fifty.

She raced the stairs of her building while stuffing a mint chewing-gum down her mouth – she did not have time to brush her teeth – and, once she was outside, she ran like crazy up to the nearest subway entrance...

When she arrived at the Mishima hotel, a huge building entirely made of glass, she noticed that no one was present in the hall, apart from receptionists. She nevertheless entered and proceeded to a woman behind a counter in white marble. The hall was huge and luxurious, as it was to be expected.

"Excuse me," she said. "I was told that the fighting schedule of tomorrow was to be announced tonight, but I'm afraid I'm late."

"Don't worry," the young woman reassured her. "It started less than five minutes ago, you must not have missed much. I will accompany you."

She led her in a corridor which leaded to a closed door and wished her a good evening before returning to the hall.

Xiaoyu relieved a long sigh, cursing her nap which had made her late.

As discrete as could be, she slowly opened the door, millimeter by millimeter, and she squeezed through it without the slightest noise. The room was immersed in the dark. The participants were seated before her and Jin was holding court on the podium, all lights on him.

He was fully dressed in black: trousers, shirt and shoes, and Xiaoyu felt her heart beat stronger. Shaking her head, she forced herself to stop gazing at him to scan the room.

With relief, she recognized Hwoarang's red hair, seated not far from the door. He had kept a free seat next to him, probably for her. She thus silently walked in his direction, but she tripped on the carpet and fell on the floor, knocking over several chairs in her fall.

Jin stopped his speech and all heads turned to the origin of this fuss. Red with shame, Xiaoyu refused to stand up and crawled to her friend who was almost rolling on the floor laughing.

"Now that Ling-san has arrived", Jin continued, unfazed, "we can continue."

The young woman cursed him mentally while Hwoarang giggled and she sat down.

"Boy, that's what I call entering on cue!"

"Shut up!"

He obeyed, always snickering and she removed her coat before putting it behind her. Her friend stared at her, with raised eyebrows.

"What?" she asked with annoyance. "This is not correct enough?"

"On the contrary, you're beautiful", he answered with seriousness. "I'm just surprised by the change."

"That do you mean?"

"You used to be always laughing and jumping everywhere, you were dressed as a teenager with bright colors and you had your trademark pigtails on your head. But now you're more sober, more restrained and less cheerful than before."

"I grew up, Hwoarang," she simply replied. "I'm at university now and I must work to pay my bills. If you add the war, it's not so surprising that I've changed."

"Isn't it also because of Kazama?"

She shifted her gaze, feeling her cheeks get pink.

"What would Jin have to do with that?"

"Oh please! I know I'm sometimes close-minded, but come one! One must be blind not to see you love him!"

"Husssssh!" she hissed, afraid that someone might have heard him.

"Ahaaa! See? You don't even deny it!"

"For heaven's sake, pipe down! There's nothing between Jin and me!"

"But you wish there would be…"

"It's neither the place nor the time to talk about that! Besides," she said, hurried to change the topic, "why is a formal outfit obliged?"

"Because there's a dinner organized, and journalists are gonna take photos."

"Great," she sighed. "But why haven't you made an effort?"

"If I can piss Kazama just with my clothes, I'd be a fool not to do it!"

"Excuse me," a young woman sitting to Hwoarang said, "I'd like to hear the speech, so be quiet!"

"Sorry", Xiaoyu answered.

"Oh come on!" the young man replied, turning to face his neighbor. "It's not like we don't already know what he's talking about!"

"Why did you come then, if you already know everything?"

This got him to pipe down and he remained startled during a moment before scowling. Xiaoyu turned to listen to Jin.

"Fighters are divided into four groups," he said." There are eight fighters per group. The tournament will include five phases of qualification, and every day of fighting will be followed by a rest day. The top floor of the hotel has an infirmary for wounded people, and the Mishima hospital is located not far from there for the more serious cases."

A wide white screen went down the ceiling and switched on to reveal a picture.

"There are four fighting rings, Jin continued. The Hachiko Place, in Shibuya district, that you can see here," he said, showing the screen. "The Ueno Park, in Ueno district. The Tokyo Tower, in Minato-ku arrondissement. And the Hie Jinja, in Akasaka distric. Information on how to get there will be posted up in the hall."

The screen disappeared and Jin went on.

"Fights will take place every four hours, the first from eight in the morning and the last at eight in the evening. Each fight has a maximum duration of four hours. There is single-elimination in case of KO, abandonment, use of weapons or attempted murder. After these four hours, if there is no winner, the referee will have the casting vote. The results will be displayed in real-time in the lobby of the hotel, and the fighting will be broadcast live. Any questions? "

No one said a word.

"In this case I let you join the hall to find out your fighting of tomorrow."

And he got out of the podium before disappearing through a door. Everybody rushed out of the room to the hall. Only Xiaoyu and Hwoarang took their time, unwilling to have to fight to have access to the control panel. The young woman was nevertheless disappointed that Jin had to leave so quickly. Then she thought that he certainly had other battles in mind.

They headed to the gigantic supper buffet which had been organized and started to eat quietly, watching fighters scratching each others' eyes out before the huge screen.

Xiaoyu was starving and she painstakingly an impressive amount of dishes under Hwoarang's mocking eyes.

"In fact, you entered this tournament to eat for free!"

"And you to drink for free!" she retorted. "How many mini bars have you drunk so far, by the way?"

"What a wicked tongue!" he said with a falsely outraged air.

They broke out laughing, and when the crawling mass was scattered from the screen, they approached it.

"Shit!" Hwoarang cursed "I'm in group C! And Kazama is in group A! I'm sure that asshole did it on purpose!"

"Stop complaining, I'm in the same group as Heihachi," Xiaoyu replied.

"Don't worry, this fuddy-duddy won't last very long! It'll be a piece of cake for you!"

"You obviously don't know him, he's not as weak as you think."

"Hum… Hey! My master and Bryan Fury are in the same group as me! Finally it may be more interesting than expected!"

"Where is your master anyway?"

"He is resting in his room, he arrived this afternoon and the boat trip made him ill!"

"He came by boat?"

"He says he has no confidence in the aircraft," Hwoarang sighed with a shrug.

Xiaoyu broke out laughing and reported her attention to the screen.

"My first fight is against Steve Fox, at four in the evening. And I inherited the Hachiko place! What kind of a battle arena is that?"

"Steve Fox is a nice guy, but he's not very hard to defeat, he's a boxer. My fight is at eight in the morning at the Tokyo Tower. Crap! I wanted to sleep a little!"

"Lazy-ass!"

"Whatever…"

"Do you know Jin Kazama?" someone asked, behind the young woman, with a strong foreign accent.

She turned to cope with a large, thin and muscular man. He had thick hair and was wearing a white shirt, black trousers and a red belt at the waist.

"I'm sorry?"

"It is absolutely essential that I see him! That scumbag must pay!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Xiaoyu asked, totally lost.

"Kazama killed my sister! It's my turn to kill him!"

"Oy !" Hwoarang exclaimed. "There's no way you're gonna touch Kazama!"

"You're defending this shithead?" Miguel spat with animosity.

"Hell no! But if someone must kick his ass, it'll be me! I've not waited all this time for a flamenco dancer to steal this moment from me!"

"A what? Repeat that!"

"I said: I've not waited all this time for a flamenco dancer to steal this moment from me!"

"Pooh! I'm not listening to a guy dressed with a garter belt!"

"WHAT?" Hwoarang roared. "These are trousers, you ass!"

"And the stuff sewn onto the sides? Doesn't it look like a garter belt?"

The young red man lowered his eyes on his trousers and raised his head with a wild glare in the eyes.

"Follow me! We'll settle this up outside!"

"Hwoarang !" Xiaoyu said. "That's enough!"

"Don't worry, Xiaoyu ! I'll teach something to that paella-eater!"

"Paella-eater? You think yourself better with that kimchi of yours?"

"At least we don't dress in sequined costumes to spike bulls!"

Miguel released a yell while trying to pounce on Hwoarang but he was detained by two security officers, who maintained him firmly, despite his kicks. The red-haired broke out laughing.

"Ole!" he mocked him.

"I'll have your guts for garters!" Miguel cursed, looking daggers at him.

"That's enough!" a cold voice cracked, imposing silence instantly.

Everyone turned to see Nina, dressed with black trousers and a black shirt, her face haughty.

"Fights other than those provided in the tournament are prohibited. Go on and you'll be eliminated from the tournament."

The two men went calm at hearing the threat and the agents released Miguel, who looked daggers at them, before moving away. Hwoarang shook his head and went to fill two plates with food, looking somber.

"I'll bring that to my master and I'll be right back," he said to Xiaoyu.

"Ok, say hello for me."

He nodded and proceeded to the elevator.

"Your friend is a hot number," a voice said behind her.

Xiaoyu turned to face the young woman who was sitting next to Hwoarang during Jin's speech.

"Yes, sometimes I'm ashamed of him."

"I'm Asuka Kazama," she smiled and bowed.

"Ling Xiaoyu, nice to meet you. Hum… You said Kazama?"

"Yes."

"Are you a relative of Jin?"

"Against my will, yes," she grumbled, scowling.

"You don't seem to enjoy it."

"Tyrants are not my cup of tea, whether they are my family or not."

Xiaoyu made a grimace which meant to be compassionate.

"Well, I should not say that," Asuka went on, "considering you're his girlfriend."

"What? Who told you that?"

"That's what everybody says," she replied with a shrug.

"It's not true! There's nothing between him and I! We're just friends… well more or less."

"What do you mean 'more or less'?"

"Oh, it's a long story," Xiaoyu smiled.

"I have plenty of time", Asuka replied, smiling in return.

"Very well, but I'll also have questions to ask you."

"No problem."

They moved to the break room of the hotel which was empty and sat face to face in comfortable sofas.

"So," Asuka began, "what's going on between you and my cousin?"

"He's your cousin?"

"Yes, but I've only seen him once in my life. Don't try to avoid the question," she smiled mischievously.

"Jin and I met almost four years ago. At that time, I was living in China and I made sure to meet Heihachi Mishima to participate in the third Iron Fist Tournament. He agreed to take me with him to the Japan. Jin was in his custody and, since we lived in the same building, and we went to the same high school, we eventually became friends."

"You said sooner that it was more or less the case."

"Yes. After the third tournament, Jin disappeared without a trace. Heihachi made research to find him and I was worried. Yet, two years passed without having the slightest new. The fourth tournament was organized after that, and I received a mail warning me against Heihachi. I don't know who sent it to me, but I'm almost certain that it was Jin."

"And then? You saw him?"

"From afar, during the tournament. He had changed, including his style of combat. I unfortunately could not speak with him. I know that he managed into the final against Heihachi, but then, he disappeared again and Heihachi was declared dead. And since he has taken control of the Mishima Zaibatsu, it's become even worse."

She raised her head to see Asuka staring at her with compassion and she made a grimace to relax the atmosphere.

"Your tour!"

"There is not much to say," her companion said with a shrug. "I only saw him during the funeral of his mother, Jun. He was living in Yakushima and me at Osaka, I had never heard of them before that."

"Jun was your aunt?"

"Yes. When my father told me about her death, we went with the rest of our family to attend the ceremony. This is when I saw him. He was young at that time, he was fifteen, but he seemed older. He was polite and quiet, and I remember I felt sorry for him because, after all, he had always lived with his mother. When Heihachi obtained his custody I was glad that he would not be alone. But now…"

"He's changed…"

"Yes. However, I remember I overheard a conversation between my parents a while after. They were saying that Jun's body had never been found."

"What? What do you mean?"

"The reason she died, according to Jin, was a scree that had razed their house. Yet, nobody knows what has become of her body."

"Wait, you mean she disappeared without leaving traces?"

"I don't know. She would never have abandoned her son, but her death is a complete puzzle. Even my parents don't want to talk about it."

They remained silent during a moment, each one thinking about what they other had told her.

"So," Asuka went on with a teasing smile. "You're not Jin's girlfriend?"

"No," Xiaoyu answered, feeling her face redden.

"Well that's really strange that he has such a behavior then…"

"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning.

"Well… Yesterday evening, I was quite close to him after he had finished his speech. And… I heard his bodyguard telling him something he obviously didn't enjoy at all."

"Nina? What on earth did she tell him?"

"She told him that you had just left with that red-haired punk. So he turned just like that to look at the door and when he saw you getting out, he left as well."

"Oh, that doesn't mean anything," the young woman said, trying to convince herself she was right. "He hates Hwoarang, so he must've been afraid that he would misbehave with me."

"Hum… I'm not so sure about that. I'm sure he was jealous, even if he tried to hide it."

Ignoring her pounding heart, Xiaoyu refused to share her new friend's point of view, even if she was dying to. Jin had indeed asked her weird questions about Hwoarang and her that night… No, it was impossible. Jin did not love her; he had no reason to be jealous…

_._

_._

_She was ge__tting out of her biology class and was heading towards the corridor to her locker._

_After making the code, she opened it to put her books and grab a chocolate rice bar she gulped down. She still had three hours before finishing this day and she was exhausted. She took her water bottle she half downed and she was closing her locker when she saw that someone had stopped next to her._

_She turned to face a boy a bit older than her, who was pretty popular among the school girls, not as much as than Jin though._

"_Hi", he gently said._

"_Hum… Hi," she answered, surprised that he was actually talking to her._

"_My name's Minase Takeshi."_

"_Nice to meet you, I'm Ling Xiaoyu."_

"_I heard about you. You're the only foreigner in this high school so everybody knows you more or less."_

"_Oh…"_

"_Besides, you must be really brave to come and study in Japan; it must be hard to learn a new language."_

"_It's not that difficult," she said, shrugging. "I've always loved foreign languages so it's a pleasure more than a chore."_

"_Where are you from exactly?"_

"_Shanghai."_

"_Don't you miss it?"_

"_Not really, but I do miss the food."_

_He burst into laughing and Xiaoyu smiled. He was really nice, along with being cute and she was flattered that he was taking the time to chat with her._

"_Look, I know we don't know each other, but I'd really love to invite you to the cinema this week end, if you're OK," he said with a charming smile._

_The young girl felt her cheeks turn pink, confused that a boy as popular and handsome as him would fancy her._

"_Hum... Well I…"_

"_She's not free," an icy voice answered. "And you'd better never approach her again."_

_Xiaoyu turned quickly. Jin was standing behind her, looking frosty. He looked daggers at Minase and the latter ran off without waiting, afraid._

"_Why on earth did you do that?" Xiaoyu exclaimed._

"_Oh? Were you interested in him?"_

_She suddenly reddened._

"_That's not the point! You mustn't give orders like that!"_

"_He had bet with other boys that he could take your virginity in a week."_

_The young girl was stunned and her face reddened. She suddenly felt ashamed that her sexual life – or rather her lack of sexual life – was made public this way. Anger started to consume her and she wished she could find out that brat and beat the shit out of him._

"_Besides," Jin added, "we're supposed to be dating. You made people believe that, so, going out with another boy doesn't seem wise to me…"_

"_How did you know what he was up to?"_

"_I overheard their conversation by accident. But when I caught you name, I paid attention."_

"_Why would he do that? What have I ever done to him?"_

"_I guess it's more like revenge against me. From what I've heard, he's jealous of my popularity among girls, which I could really do without. He wanted to get revenge over me by using you."_

_Xiaoyu stayed silent, accepting the news._

"_Thank you for warning me."_

"_It's OK."_

"_I'm such a fool…" she sighed, sliding down to the floor._

_She buried her face in her knees, laughing bitterly._

"_I knew it was strange that a boy would be interested in me…"_

"_Why do you say that?"_

"_Oh, it's nothing… Forget it…"_

_Jin remained silent during a moment, staring at her._

"_I'll be the one to invite you to the cinema tonight."_

_She raised her head, looking surprised._

"_Huh?"_

"_That's what that moron offered you, but I think I'm a better company that him," he said with a smile._

"_Indeed," she answered with a great smile._

_He held his hand out to her and she took it, feeling her heart lightened._

"_You finish your classes at six, don't you?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I'll be waiting for you outside then."_

_Faced with such gentleness, she could not help jumping on him and hugging him. A little surprised, he nevertheless did not stop her, unsure about how to react._

"_Thank you so much!"_

"_If you really want to thank me, I want you to kick this guy's ass before the end of the day."_

_She had a devilish smile on her lips and a snigger that predicted nothing good._

"_It with be my pleasure…"_

_._

_._

The following day, Xiaoyu woke up later than she had planned and she could not attend the fight between Hwoarang and Asuka.

She consoled herself by promising herself to go and see him this evening in the hotel and she carefully prepared for her upcoming fight. She devoted her morning to stretch and warm up her muscles, and then do a few movements. After relaxing in a hot bath, she offered herself a nap of an hour, and then she opened the package that her mother had sent her a few days ago.

It contained a silk fighting outfit, composed of white shorts with black edges, an orange sleeveless tunic with a Mandarin collar, slit-sided, with white feathers on the shoulders and a pair of orange flats to tie around her ankles with a ribbon with pompons.

Delighted, she quickly put it on and made a few movements to be sure it was all right. Satisfied, she brushed her hair and divided it into two pigtails and put on two large fluorescent bracelets on her wrists and two other smaller at the base of her pigtails.

If she used to do her hair and dress this way for her fights, it was actually a tactic to appear younger. Her opponents would be less suspicious when they saw her and they would think that she was not very powerful. Thus, when they would lower their guard, she would take advantage of it to defeat them.

Putting her phone and keys in her pocket, she went out of her place and took the direction of the Hachiko place without hurrying, feeling more and more stressful.

When she arrived, many people were already present and cheered her warmly. She felt suddenly a little better before the support she had and she patiently waited for Steve to show up.

Her opponent arrived minutes later, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and fitting red leather trousers.

"Hello!" he gently said.

"Hello!"

"You haven't changed much since the last tournament."

"Neither have you, you're still wearing that hideous shirt!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

Steve burst out laughing.

"I admit I'm a fashion disaster."

They squared up and waited for the referee to announce the beginning of the fight. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger around them and Xiaoyu felt stressful again. She exhorted herself to breathe calmly and to remember her grand-father's precepts.

"Hajime!" the referee exclaimed and the crowd started cheering.

As usual, the young woman let her opponent come to her, and he attacked with a direct left punch she merely ducked. He went on with a hook she easily blocked.

Steve was fast, but so was Xiaoyu and she easily dodged many punches to bend down in order to knock down his legs. He fell with a grimace but quickly got up and squared up, with the jubilant crowd cheering him on him.

After a few minutes of dodging and light counter attacks from the young woman, she realized that Steve weakness was his legs. As a boxer, he had a perfect upper guard, but his down guard was vulnerable.

She took advantage of one second of inattention from him to violently kick his kneecap, making him fall on his knees and, as she had her back before him, she went of with her famous back kick that hit his chin. He fall backwards, groggy and it took him more than twenty seconds to get up.

"You're tough," he said with a panting voice.

"Thanks," she simply answered.

His punch hit the young woman's shoulder instead of her face and she grimaced. He was not pulling his punches.

She ducked to mow down his legs again, but he jumped to escape it and gave her a powerful head butt that made her roll on the ground, groggy.

She got up, merely escaped an uppercut and decided to finish him off quickly by moving behind him to do her favorite move: she caught one of his legs, raised it up while she was knocking down the second one, making him roughly fall on the ground.

Steve did not get up again and the young woman won her first battle...

.

.

**TBC…**


	5. Secrets & Revelations

_Thanks again to everyone who read this fanfiction and thank you to the people who took the time to review it, I really appreciate to know what you think about this story._

_Here's chapter five, I hope you'll enjoy it._

* * *

.

**Chapter V – Secrets and Revelations**

.

.

"You could have made an effort!" Hwoarang cursed.

"I know! I'm sorry!" Xiaoyu replied.

"You missed a great fight! I beat that kid hands down!"

"Oy!" the so-called kid cried, with lightning flashes in the eyes. "And your shiner, you did it yourself perhaps?"

"I wasn't focused," Hwoarang replied with a shrug.

Asuka was about to pounce on him, but Xiaoyu calmed her. The young woman was infuriated with being beaten by the young man and he would not stop teasing her, proud as a peacock.

"Did you attend other fights?" she asked to lighten their mood.

"I went to see Kazuya's," her friend replied.

"Me too," Hwoarang added.

"And…?"

"It was not a pretty sight. Paul is a hard nut, but Kazuya made short work of him," Hwoarang grimaced. "It lasted only ten minutes, but boy! Did he bash him up!"

"This guy scares the shit out of me! Sometimes it's like he's not human…" Asuka added, shivering.

"Yeah, he's really frightening," Xiaoyu said.

"Ha… I'm not afraid!" Hwoarang bragged. "I'm looking forward to deal with him, to see if he's as strong as Kazama!"

"As strong as me?" Asuka asked, lost.

"Not you! Your cousin!"

"I forgot to tell you that Hwoarang cannot spend a day without talking about him at least once."

"Why? He's in love with him?"

Xiaoyu broke out laughing while her friend choked, outraged.

"Speaking about Jin, do you know who he's fighting tonight?" she asked.

"King," Asuka replied.

"What about going to get something to eat before the fight?" the young man offered. "I invite you both!"

"Where's the trap?" Xiaoyu asked with suspicion.

"What?"

"Come on, your middle name is 'Cheapstake'! So excuse me for being careful!"

"Oy! Is it so hard to believe that I can be gallant at times?"

"Yes."

"Humph…"

.

.

The Tokyo Tower was incredibly crowded when Xioayu and her two friends arrived. The fighting zone was entirely surrounded by a cordon of soldiers of the Tekken Force, armed to the teeth, and a helicopter was flying over the area.

King was waiting in the center, arms crossed, head lowered, as if he was lost into a deep meditation.

Night had fallen and floodlights were lighting the place.

"Aren't they exaggerating a little too much?" Hwoarang asked with mockery.

"On the contrary," Xiaoyu replied. "He's taking big risks by showing up in public, considering the number of enemies he has. He can get killed at any time."

An incredible number of people had come to attend the fight. Many had cameras and even journalists had been dispatched. Elbowing people out of the way, they managed to reach the barriers which delimited the arena.

Several other fighters were present in the crowd, including Miguel, who fiercely glared at Hwoarang as soon as he recognized him. The latter gave him a rude gesture of the hand with a mocking smile before being hit by Xiaoyu.

Jin finally appeared, pushing his way through the crowd, escorted by several armed soldiers, and the silence fell abruptly. He was wearing nothing but black pants with red flames on his right leg, his red gauntlets and its protections on his feet. His black tattoo was standing out on his tanned skin and his bangs falling on his forehead were hiding his eyes.

He looked unconcerned and moved to the center, to face King. They briefly bowed to each other and squared up.

A religious silence was prevailing among the crowd, while everyone was waiting for the signal of the referee with impatience. The atmosphere was electric and Xiaoyu was gritting her teeth not to jump up and down with excitement.

"Hajime!" the referee exclaimed.

With a roar, King immediately dashed forward Jin who remained motionless. Raising his fist, the jaguar-masked man was about to punch the head of his opponent, when the latter threw him without warning a great uppercut that touched his chin.

King crashed several feet away and remained motionless. The blow, thrown with surgical precision, had fractured his jaw and had knocked him out.

The assistance was dumbfounded, amazed by the speed of the combat and especially by the power of the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu.

Even Hwoarang seemed lost for words. Xiaoyu was both incredibly proud of Jin and at the same time worried before such power.

When the referee declared Jin winner, nobody said a word and he just walked away, looking still as phlegmatic as ever. He crossed the crowd escorted and disappeared in the black sedan which had waited for him.

The tone was set.

Defeating Jin Kazama would not be a small task…

.

.

Xiaoyu woke up early the next morning.

She was going to visit her grandfather who lived near Akita, in the North of Honshu. The train ticket she had reserved was for eight o'clock, which would give her all afternoon to spend with him.

Her cell phone rang, and she took it with a grimace.

"Hello?"

"Xiao! So? So? So? Did you win?"

"Hum, yes."

"Yaaaaaaaah! I knew it! You're the best!"

"Calm down Miharu," the young woman sighed. "This was the first battle and I was just very lucky."

"If you say so… I'd have loved to come to see you but with my work…"

"Don't worry, it's fine."

"You know at what time is your fight of tomorrow?"

"Not yet, I'll go check it after returning from Akita and I'll text you."

"Okay, I really hope I'll be able to come and cheer you with Panda!"

"How is she?

"Better, but she misses you."

"I miss her too," Xiaoyu sighed. "I'm so looking forward to see you both."

"So am I! Have you seen Hwoarang?"

"Yes, he won his first fight too."

"Congratulate him for me! I hope I'll be able to attend his next fight, it's been a while since I last saw him."

"I'll tell you tonight, as soon as I have the schedule."

"Ok. I gotta get ready for classes."

"All right, have a nice day!"

"You too! Bye!"

Hanging up her cell phone, she stretched herself out at full length before getting up and taking a shower. Once done, she wrapped herself in her bathrobe and went to have her breakfast. Her shoulder was still painful, right where Steve had hit her; however she was glad she had avoided that fist that was aiming her face.

Once she had eaten, she looked at the weather by the window and sighed when seeing grey clouds and the rain falling. She quickly put on jeans, a T-shirt, a loose-fitting black cardigan and added a scarf around her neck. Doing her hair into a loose bun, she took her bag and checked that she had her train ticket, and then she got out of her studio.

It was not too cold outside, and she opened her umbrella while heading towards the nearest subway entrance to go to the Ueno Station.

_._

_._

Once she was ensconced in the train, she texted Hwoarang and Asuka to offer them to meet in the evening. The train departed and she took from her bag a book she had to read for her classes while settling comfortably in her seat. She had been lucky that her teachers had been empathetic when she had told them that she was participating in the tournament. They had excused her from her classes for the tournament but were sending her the lessons by mail.

After a while, feeling dizzy, she closed her book and rested her head against the window by which the landscape was passing at an incredible speed.

She had not left Tokyo to see her grandfather in a long time.

Since the end of the last tournament, he had decided to stay in Japan, stating that at his age, traveling between both countries was difficult. He had purchased a small house lost in the mountains and was spending his retirement quietly, between meditation and gardening. He had nevertheless become withdrawn and more solemn than usual.

Xiaoyu closed her eyes and was lulled by the sound of the train.

.

.

_Nine o'clock in the evening._

_Wrapped in her blanket and nestled at the bottom of her bed, Xiaoyu was watching her favorite drama while sniffing in a non elegant manner._

_She had a damn cold as proven by the stack of used tissues on the side of her bed and she was shivering despite the overlays of clothing she had put on._

_It had been three days that she was locked in her room watching mushy series, sleeping and waking up every quarters of an hour to blow her nose and she was getting seriously sick of it. Not that missing school bothered her - it was the only advantage of being ill - but she had not seen anybody in three days except the doctor of the Mishima family and she was missing Jin._

_There were knocks at her door and she groaned while getting off her bed to go open._

_It was Jin._

_She was tempted to close the door immediately. He looked paralyzed and she could understand why. The view had to be comic: her room immersed in darkness, the tissues on the floor, her computer put on a chair at the end of her bed and then her, of course, her, with her wide purple socks, her green pajamas bottom, her wide and shapeless blue sweater with little hearts, her pink scarf, her cap on the head and her streaming and red nose…_

_Let someone finish her off…_

_"Hum…" he said, trying not to laugh. "I came to catch up."_

"_Nice of you," she sniffed before groaning inwardly as she realized that she was speaking through her nose. "I'm a tad better, but it's still cataclysmic…"_

"_I can see that," he retorted with a mocking smile._

"_No teasing, Kazama, or I'll sneeze on you!"_

"_Terrifying!" he said, trying his best to look frightened._

"_Don't underestimate the power of the cold!"_

"_As long as I don't end up dressing like a rainbow like you, I'll be fine…"_

_Outraged, Xiaoyu tried to slam the door to his face but he blocked it with his foot and gave her an unbearably cute smile. She felt herself melting before such a smile and shook her head to get her ideas straight._

"_I'm joking," he said. "Besides, I have something for you."_

"_Tissues?"_

"_Better. You're letting me in?"_

_She sighed and opened the door to let him in. He entered her room and wrinkled._

"_I really don't want to be mean, but it stinks…"_

"_I've been stuck here for three days, Sherlock!"_

"_Hum… Ventilate your room; you won't recover if you breathe the same air."_

_He went to open the large window while the girl picked up as fast as she could the tissues dragged on the floor and quickly threw it in the dustbin._

"_So? What did you bring me?"_

_He smiled and gave her a large paper bag which was surprisingly warm and the smell made her mouth water._

"_I made a little investigation," he said, still smiling. "The cook told me the doctor had imposed soup and tea on you, but I thought you'd appreciate Chinese."_

_She thanked him with cries of joy and unpacked the dishes, jumping up and down._

"_Peking duck! And shrimp dumplings! Aaaaaaaah!"_

_Jin giggled and she turned to face him, a huge smile on her lips._

"_Even if I'm ravenous, there is too much food for just one person. How about sharing it?_

_He was surprised by her proposal and hesitated before responding._

"_I thought you'd have preferred to remain by yourself."_

"_Oh no, it's been three days I've seen nobody! So you sit and you stay with me!"_

"_Who am I to disobey your wishes, Ling-sama?"_

"_Oh stop it!"_

_She quickly made her bed and sat on it, leaving some free space to her friend. They started eating their meal and Xiaoyu put her episode on play again._

"_What's that?" Jin asked with a frown._

"_A drama."_

"_A what?"_

"_A drama. It's a TV show."_

"_Ah. And what's its name?"_

"_It started with a kiss. It's Taiwanese."_

"_Ah. And… what's it about?"_

"_It's the story of a girl who's a mess in everything and who loves a boy from her school. She decides to tell him about her feelings in a letter but he ignores it completely. The problem is that this girl's house is destroyed after an earthquake and she and her father will live at a friend of his. However, it's the father of the boy she loves, and they will have to live together."_

"_Hum…"_

_He did not seem satisfied with Xiaoyu's summary, judging by his grimace._

"_I'm sure you'll love the boy, he is exactly like you."_

"_Meaning?"_

"_Beautiful, intelligent, talented, but completely antisocial," she replied with a mocking smile._

"_Hey!" he exclaimed, looking scandalized. "If I were really antisocial, I wouldn't be there with you!"_

"_True, besides, I wonder why you're not like that with the other students."_

_He shrugged and looked away._

"_I have no interest in them. I have no common point with them and I'm not used to having friends or being open to others…"_

"_What is it that I have and that they don't, then?"_

"_I don't really know," he said, looking at her as if he was hoping he would find the answer in her eyes. "I feel like we are a bit alike… We are both alone in our new life. You crashed in a country you don't know and I discovered an unknown city and grandfather… But you try to stay merry and persevering anyway, you haven't been tainted by hatred or violence yet. Perhaps that's what I like about you…"_

_Xiaoyu felt her heart beat faster and stronger at hearing him talk about her like that. He suddenly looked embarrassed by what he had revealed and cleared his throat noisily before devouring a fried spring roll and postponed his attention on the series._

_The girl stared at him for a long time before looking away, ears buzzing and hands slightly shaking._

_She had just realized that she was slowly but surely beginning to fall in love with him…_

.

.

When she awoke, she noticed that she was ravenous.

Having forgotten to prepare a meal, she bought an eki-bento that she gulped down, noticing that there was only a small quarter of an hour to travel before arriving. Then she thought of the path that waited for her to reach her grandfather's house and she felt exhausted already.

What the hell was he thinking when he decided to get lost in the depths of a mountain?

After finishing her bento, she bought a second one that she devoured the same way, under the amused gaze of her neighbor.

The stop in which she came down was eventually announced and she picked up her things. The train stopped and she got off promptly, glad to feel the fresh air of the countryside. She came out of the station and headed quietly towards the heights, outside of the city. It was not raining like in Tokyo and the air was pleasant.

After half an hour, she came down the mountain and climbed the steep footpath leading up to her grandfather. The slope was arduous and Xiaoyu was steaming with sweat.

A quarter of an hour later, she saw smoke rising in the air nearby and she walked in this direction. Wang Jinrei's small house was standing in a clearing. The old man was in his garden, planting seeds and cutting bushes.

"Grandpa!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, running towards him.

He raised his head, surprised, and a grinned when he recognized the young woman.

"Xiao!"

He stood up painfully and hugged her.

"What are you doing here? I didn't expect your visit!"

"It was a surprise!"

"You sly little fox! You must be thirsty after so much walking."

She followed him into the house and sat on a wooden chair in the kitchen. He gave her a glass of water that she swallowed in one go.

"Have you eaten?" the old man asked.

"Yes, in the train."

"So," he started, sitting in his rocking chair. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I missed you and I had a day off, so I decided to come."

"Very well I've heard that a sixth tournament had been organized.

"It started yesterday."

"Have you fought yet?"

"Yes!"

"And did you win?"

"Yes!"

"Congratulations," he said with a smile. "You should better train even harder; the next fights of the tournament will not be easy."

"Don't worry, I will."

"Good. Tell me about yourself, how is everything going in Tokyo?"

"Rather well. Classes are interesting and my job isn't very complicated, so I'm pretty lucky."

"You have not had any problems with the soldiers lurking everywhere?"

"No, I'm not looking for trouble so I have nothing to fear."

"Very well, very well."

"And you? Aren't you bored in this one-horse town?"

"Not at all, it is peaceful here and I can meditate quietly. Moreover, I am busy enough with my garden and the maintenance of the house not to be bored."

"How do you buy groceries? Do you walk down there yourself?"

"No, I don't have the strength to do this anymore. It is a friend who has the kindness to do it for me, once a month. But I must confess that the fruits and vegetables I grow are enough for me."

"I really regret leaving you all alone…"

"Come on!" he laughed. "I am a big boy! And you have your own life to live, Xiao."

"Hum…"

"By the way, I would have thought that Panda would have come with you."

"She is injured."

"Injured?"

"The Tekken Forces destroyed a building and some rubble broke her paw. So she is staying at Miharu's until the end of the tournament."

"I have some plants which may put her straight again, remind me to give them to you before you leave, I'm losing my memory."

"Thank you, grandpa."

"And… do you have any news of your friend Jin?"

The smile on Xiaoyu's face disappeared and she lowered her head.

"I saw him at the opening reception of the tournament, that's all."

"Did you speak to each other?"

"Quickly," she replied, shrugging. "He's a very busy man…"

"Indeed."

They stayed silent during a moment.

"I've had news of mom and dad."

"Mmm?"

"They are both well; they opened a new store in Hong Kong. And they may come to see us for the Christmas holiday, if they manage to have some days off."

"I doubt that they'll make it. Christmas periods are important for traders."

"I'll see them then, as soon as I have saved enough money. Don't you wish to return to China for a few days?"

"I am old, Xiao," he sighed. "I doubt that I'll be able to endure the trip. I should first be able to get off my mountain," he chuckled.

Xiaoyu giggled.

"By the way," she went on with a more serious voice. "You have never explained to me why you decided to settle here, instead of staying in China."

Wang looked at her with suspicious eyes.

"Why are you asking me that, all of a sudden?"

"Just asking," she answered, shrugging. "I found it strange that you had left your country to settle here."

He had a long sigh and stood to prepare some tea. Xiaoyu remained silent, waiting for him to respond. He put a steaming cup before her and sat down.

"I have known the Mishima family for a long time," he began. "One of my oldest friends' name was Jinpachi Mishima, Heihachi's father.

The young woman's eyes widened when she thought about the age this man had to be.

"He was the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu. However, he disappeared one day and nobody found him. It was eventually said that he was dead and his son took his succession."

He made a break and swallowed a draft of tea.

"Before the fifth tournament, I received a message from a person claiming to be Jinpachi, and asking for my help. I hardly believed that he was alive after all this time, but I finally took part in the tournament to see what was going on."

Xiaoyu's curiosity was at its paroxysm and she was literally hanged on her grandfather's every word.

"Unfortunately," he went on with a sad voice, "he died in my arms in the tournament. And if you remember well, Heihachi had been declared dead. Thus, Jin took control of the company, as surprising as it may seem. And it is for this reason that I have decided to stay in Japan. In memory of my friend to whom I made a promise, but also to keep watch on the actions of the Mishima Zaibatsu."

He raised the cup to his lips.

"But why do you want to keep watch on Jin?" the young woman asked.

"Well, you have to admit that his actions are far from being acceptable. However, I cannot tell you more, Xiao. Maybe later, but for the moment it is better that you stay in ignorance."

Although disappointed, she understood that it would be useless to argue and she finished her cup of tea.

"I have another question."

"I am listening."

"You told me that you participated in the first two tournaments of the Tekken."

"That is correct."

"Did you meet a woman named Jun Kazama?"

The old man closed his eyes and had a long sigh, sadness marking his wrinkled face.

"Yes, I met her. She was investigating on Kazuya Mishima on behalf of the WWWC, an organization for the protection of animal life. He was suspected of practicing genetic manipulations on protected animal species and she had to find evidence so that the police could arrest him."

"Did she succeed?"

"She fell under Kazuya's spell, and so did he. When she found out that he wanted to kill his father, she dropped her investigation to try to prevent it. This woman had incredible mental strength. She had almost managed to make him become the man he used to be again, but Heihachi took advantage to defeat him and to regain control of the Mishima Zaibatsu."

"What happened to Jun?"

"She had become pregnant and she was afraid for her child. Therefore, she decided to settle in a place where nobody would look for her. However, before the third tournament, several martial arts masters began to disappear around the world. Jin was fifteen years old when his mother was attacked by the God of fight, Toshin."

"Toshin?"

"Yes. It was an Aztec God. Heihachi's plan was to lure him into the third tournament to steal his powers. However, only the souls of powerful fighters would attract him as he used it as food. And a third tournament with the best fighters of the world was an irresistible bait for this God."

"Heihachi used us to lure Toshin?" the young woman asked, shocked.

"Heihachi has always been attracted by power. All means are good to satisfy the thirst for power that consumes him. Why do you think he raised and trained Jin all these years? Because this boy has an incredible soul, and a rare talent for fighting."

The young woman remained silent, still shocked. She knew that Heihachi was not a saint, but she had always considered him as a grandfather. He had always been good with her, and she had just discovered a really dark facet of his personality. The worst being that he had raised his orphaned grandson like a pig for slaughter. She now understood better Jin's hatred for Heihachi.

"Yoshimitsu told me that Heihachi threw Kazuya into a ravine when he was five years old," she whispered.

"This is unfortunately true. And that is why Kazuya hates him and wants to kill him."

"But why did Heihachi do such a thing?"

"He thought his son was weak, and he wanted to harden him. He succeeded beyond his expectations…"

"How did Kazuya manage to survive such a fall?"

Once again, the face of her grandfather hardened and he arose.

"I am sorry, but I cannot tell you, Xiao. Not yet, at least."

"But why? I don't understand!"

"I would put you in danger if I told you all I know…" he sighed. "Very few people really know the story of the Mishimas and their curse. One day, maybe I will be able to tell you, but it is far too dangerous for now."

She nodded, despite her growing bitterness and she thought about what she had learnt. An idea suddenly crossed her mind.

"Apparently, Jun's corpse has never been found," she whispered. "Is there a possibility that she could still be alive?"

"I do not think so", the old man replied. "No one survived the attack of Toshin, but master Doo San. Nevertheless, given her exceptional mental faculties, she may have survived. But this is far from certain…"

He made a break and went out of the house.

"You must see the flowers that have grown, Xiao. They are beautiful!"

She followed him outside, her mind still confused by all the revelations her grandfather had made and the secrets he was still hiding…

.

.

A few hours later, she was ready to leave.

She kissed her grandfather who wished her good luck for the tournament and had given her the medicinal plants for Panda and some others to make her less nervous before her fights.

She left him with the strange feeling that he was keeping a huge secret, a secret which was completely beyond her.

Within half an hour, she reached the station and got in the train to Tokyo.

During the trip, she could not stop brooding over everything her grandfather had told her about Jinpachi Mishima and Jun Kazama. She had the impression that the reason which had led Wang Jinrei to stay in Japan was more serious and important than the death of his old friend.

When she looked at the time on her cell phone, she realized that her two friends had answered her message, and that they would wait for her at the station. She remembered that she had to go to the Mishima hotel to find out her next opponent. In the meantime, she went on the tournament website from her cell phone to see the results of the previous day.

Out of the thirty-two fighters of the beginning, there were only sixteen remaining. In group A, in addition to Jin, remained Émilie de Rochefort, Sergei Dragunov and Lee Chaolan.

Group B, which was her own, had Heihachi, Lei Wulong and Marshall Law and she could not help but dreading the possibility of facing Heihachi the next day.

Group C, in which was Hwoarang, consisted of Baek Doo San, Bryan Fury, and Anna Williams.

Finally, there were in the pool D Kazuya Mishima, Kuma, Jack-6, Christie Monteiro. Xiaoyu pitied the poor girl: no matter whom of the three she would fight, they would give her a hard time.

The way back seemed shorter that the way out and, when she arrived at the Tokyo station, it was seven o'clock. From her window, she saw Hwoarang and Asuka, who were visibly arguing on the platform, between people staring at them with surprise. She shook her head smilingly: they really could not be taken anywhere.

She joined them quickly and brought them to the exit, not wanting to make a fool of herself because of them. They took the subway to the Mishima hotel and bought some food before entering the hotel. Their argument had lasted the entire journey and Xiaoyu was sick of hearing them chatter.

"Aren't you tired of arguing all the time?"

"It's his fault!" Asuka exclaimed. "We trained together this afternoon! And he said that I should go back to Osaka because, as I had my ass kicked, I had nothing more to do here!"

"So? It's not true, perhaps?" the young man retorted with a mocking rictus.

"I'm not staying for you, but to support Xiaoyu!"

"What about me? What am I? The fifth wheel of the wagon?"

"You're too useless for that!"

"Oy!"

"Oh shut the fuck up!" cried an infuriated Xiaoyu. "You are unbearable!"

"Anyway," Asuka went on, yawning, "I'll leave you because I'm exhausted. We'll see tomorrow."

"Okay, good night!"

She headed toward the elevator and disappeared inside. Xiaoyu turned to discover the name of her opponent of tomorrow, with a knot in her stomach.

Lei Wulong. At noon.

She sighed with relief. She had really been afraid of facing Heihachi after what she had learned about him today. But Lei was a tough opponent nevertheless; he had a very changing fighting style and could surprise her at any time. She would have to be careful. Hwoarang was looking at the screen with a large smile on his lips.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"Look at my opponent!"

"Anna Williams," she read. "This isn't something to be happy about, you know."

"Hey, I'm going to fight against a beautiful woman, who's always wearing a slit dress with a cleavage of madness and stilettos! It's the dream of every man! In addition," he added with a teasing air, "I heard that she has a one-track mind…"

"Ah! Please, I don't want to hear that!"

"You shouldn't be so prudish Xiao, how are you gonna do when you're with Kazama?"

Winded by indignation and her cheeks red with shame, the young woman kicked him powerfully in the shins and he started jumping up and down, whining with pain. She took the bags of food they had purchased and walked to the lobby, stiff as a ramrod, while he was cursing in Korean.

She collapsed in a sofa and attacked her meal. The young man joined her a few moments later, grimacing, and sat down beside her.

"Come on, stop sulking!" he said, catching his sandwich. "You know I was kidding!"

"It was not funny!"

"Man, you're such a killjoy," he sighed, turning on the huge TV hanging on the wall in front of them.

Xiaoyu did not sulk very long and they eventually talked with animation while eating. The young woman smiled, thinking that Hwoarang was really a pleasant company. Time was passing so quickly in his company and, while she was texting Miharu, she noticed it was soon ten in the evening. She jumped from the sofa.

"I have to go! By time I go back home and go to bed, it'll be eleven!" she cursed, angry at herself for not keeping an eye on the time.

She was not the kind that went to bed early, but if she wanted to be in peak form, she really had to get some rest.

"Stay here," Hwoarang offered. "You can share my room."

She looked at him with disbelief and, realizing what he had said, he cleared his throat before quickly specify:

"There's a bed and a sofa in my room, you'll take the bed!"

"No, I'm gonna go home…"

"With everything that's going on now, I'd rather not have you out so late," he added with a serious look. "Stay here, just for tonight. You can go back home to change tomorrow in the morning as your combat is at noon. "

She hesitated a moment, pouting, then she admitted to herself that she really did not feel like going out and walk all the way up to her home. Therefore, she agreed and sat back in the sofa, thanking her friend.

He was going to ask her something when they heard footsteps and turned to the door. A young woman had just entered the room and Xiaoyu recognized the young Native American, Julia Chang, thanks to her braids.

"Thank God you're here!" she exclaimed when she saw her.

She circled the sofa in which they were seated to face them. Her face was reflecting an intense anxiety and Xiaoyu could not help stiffening when she knelt down before her.

"I must speak to you! It's about Jin Kazama!"

.

.

**TBC…**


	6. A step forward

.

**Chapter VI - A step forward**

.

.

_"Move your leg faster!" Xiaoyu cried._

"_What? Faster than that?" Jin exclaimed, alarmed._

"_If you wanna have a chance to hit me, you have no choice," she replied, sticking out her tongue._

_It has been almost two hours that they were training intensively in the special room of the Mishima building._

_The tournament was to begin in a month and Heihachi had advised them to train hard every day. Therefore, they had agreed to meet every evening after classes to practice for two hours._

_Xiaoyu was exhausted but she was trying not to show it to her opponent. Before her, Jin seemed worn out too, but he kept on attacking. He had removed his t-shirt to be more comfortable and the girl was struggling to stay focused before such a vision._

"_Anyway, you have no power," he retorted with a mocking smile. "You're showing off because you're fast, but that's all you got!"_

_Outraged, she chopped his legs with all the strength she had left and he fell heavily on the ground. He tried to get up but she jumped on him and sat on his hips, pinning his shoulders to the ground._

"_Anyway," she imitated him, looking absolutely pleased, "you're at my mercy."_

"_True," he smiled, panting. "Do what you want with me…"_

_That simple phrase made her blush intensely while her mind was thinking about something else and she suddenly realized the situation._

_She, ridding him. His hot skin under her palms. His panting breath. His open mouth. His pink cheeks. And his bright eyes, staring at her without restraint._

_Burning with shame, she got up at the speed of the light and turned to pick up her water bottle, not wanting to show him how confused she was._

_L__ǎ__o tiān, she thought, swallowing a few gulps of fresh water, have mercy…_

_When she finally dared to face him, she noticed that he seemed as embarrassed as she was._

_"Perhaps we should stop," he offered without looking at her. "I'm exhausted."_

"_I think so. We'll continue tomorrow."_

_He nodded and took his stuff before quickly heading toward the door. The girl did not bear him a grudge for running away, as she was as embarrassed as he was, and she picked up her bottle and her towel, still ashamed of her thoughts._

_She patted her cheeks to try to cheer up, but she only wanted to snuggle in her bed to think about what had happened again and again._

_A good bath would do me a world of good, she thought while leaving the room. It's the chance to test the private baths of the building…_

_A few hours later, her skin still rosy from the hot water and her mind appeased, she came out of the elevator which had opened on the floor where her room was. _

_Wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel, she was so comatose that she could not think about anything else but collapsing in her bed to finally sleep as much as she wanted._

_However, her heart started to beat harder when she recognized Jin, leaning against a wall by her door. He noticed her outfit with a little smile and straightened._

_"It's about time!"_

"_I was taking a bath."_

"_That's not a reason!"_

"_Hey! Don't tell me you've been waiting for me since the end of our training session!"_

"_Well, I have."_

"_Well too bad for you," she laughed, shrugging. "What do you want?"_

"_Have you ever heard about the Kurayami Matsuri?"_

"_Hum, no."_

"_It's a very famous festival in Tokyo and Japan. It takes place during the Golden Week, in the beginning of May, therefore in less than three weeks, and I wanted to know if you'd like to go there with me."_

_Taken aback, Xiaoyu remained silent. Jin blushed a little and looked away._

"_I thought it might be interesting for you to discover a Japanese festival," he awkwardly explained. "And it would be a nice change from classes and trainings…"_

_Seeing that she was still not answering, he cleared his throat, looking elsewhere and had a forced smile._

"_If you don't want to, I understand…"_

"_Not at all!" she finally exclaimed. "I'd be glad to go there with you!"_

_He had a brief but shinning smile and immediately resumed his impassive air._

"_Perfect. We'll talk about it later."_

"_Okay, good night."_

"_Good night to you too."_

_He went away and disappeared in the elevator, and she let her joy explode by jumping up and down, growling hysterically before rushing in her room._

_An outfit, she absolutely had to find the perfect outfit…_

_._

_._

Julia was staring at her with eyes filled with fear and concern and all her good mood disappear in the blink of an eye. What did she want? And what was so important about Jin that she had to tell her?

"You're a friend of Jin Kazama?"

"Hum… More or less…"

"He must be prevented from facing Kazuya Mishima!"

"Huh?"

"They mustn't fight! It's capital!"

"I don't understand…"

"An old woman made a prediction to me before the beginning of the tournament," Julia said, trying to speak slowly. "She told me that Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima mustn't face because, if it was to happen, it would lead to the resurrection of a huge evil force that will spread over the Earth!"

Xiaoyu remained silent, surprised. Hwoarang finally spoke.

"Er… Do you really believe in this… prophecy?"

"At first I had doubts too, but when the tournament was announced, I knew that she was speaking the truth!"

"Okay, but what do you want me to do?" the Chinese girl asked.

"Don't let them fight!"

"Er… Have you looked at me? I'm absolutely not built to stop Jin! As for Kazuya, the more I avoid him, the better I am!"

"Then try to convince Jin!"

"He won't listen to me", Xiaoyu sighed , looking sorry. "I've already tried to talk to him, but it's useless."

Julia looked dishearten. She sat on a sofa, discouraged.

"It's not possible…" she whispered. "Something terrible is gonna happen, I can feel it."

An idea suddenly crossed Xiaoyu's mind.

"You work at the G Corporation, don't you?"

"Yes, why?"

"It's the firm owned by Kazuya. Why don't you try to dissuade him yourself?"

"I don't work with him and my researches have nothing to do with what he's doing! Plus, he doesn't know that I work in his firm and I don't want him to know. He and his father have already hurt my family enough!"

"How?"

"During the first tournament of the Tekken, Heihachi had my adoptive grandfather and his tribe killed as he was seeking the treasure they were keeping. Before the second tournament, Kazuya had my mother Michelle kidnapped, as he was also looking for our treasure."

"What kind of treasure was it?" asked an interested Hwoarang.

"It was a pendant that could channel and control the powers of the god of fight, Ogre."

"Ogre?" Xiaoyu exclaimed. "Isn't it called Toshin as well?"

"It's another of its names, yes, how do you know that?" Julia asked, surprised.

"My grandfather was involved in the two first tournaments, he's the one who told me about that god."

"Ogre was asleep for centuries in a temple in ruins. Unfortunately, Heihachi learned its existence and his research awakened it," the young Amerindian explained.

"My grandfather told me that god feeds on the souls of powerful fighters," Xiaoyu went on. "He started to attack several masters of martial arts, including Jin's mother and your master, Hwoarang."

"Master Doo San is the only one that survived," Julia added.

"Oh? Seriously?" the young man exclaimed, frowning.

"Ogre killed the first King," she summed up. "He also killed Jun Kazama and attacked your master, who miraculously didn't die."

"Didn't you know about that?" Xiaoyu asked, surprised.

"Well, as soon as I knew my master was alive, I didn't think about Ogre anymore, as it had been destroyed."

"There is something bothering me, however," the young girl went on, "I heard that the body of Jun has never been found."

"Do you think she could have survived?" her friend asked.

"I don't know," she sighed. "My grandfather told me she was very powerful, but it's unlikely that she had survived Ogre. What do you think, Julia?"

"I must confess that I don't know much about Ogre, but if master Doo San managed to survive, why not Jun Kazama?"

They remained silent during a moment, before Julia rose.

"I'm going back to Arizona tomorrow, I'll ask my mom if there's a chance that this woman could still be alive. Perhaps the old woman who made me the prediction can enlighten me as well."

Then she gave Xiaoyu her mobile phone number and e-mail address and promised to keep her informed as soon as she would have any information.

"Be careful, both of you," she warned them. "The strangest things are happening at the moment and I'm afraid the prediction would eventually come true."

She left the room after saying goodbye to them, and Hwoarang turned to face Xiaoyu.

"She's right. Something is happening, something we can't define at all."

"I think so, and I think Jin is linked to that. He and the Mishima family."

"We'll have to discover it by ourselves."

"I'm afraid so..." she sighed.

"Tell me, I'm not religious by any means, but this Ogre stuff worries me. Since when have gods been taking part in martial arts tournaments?"

"That's because of Heihachi," Xiaoyu explained. "He wanted to take its power and he decided to organize the third Iron Fist to attract it."

"Wait… You mean that old duffer used us to lure Ogre?"

"Exactly…" she answered with bitterness.

Hwoarang remained silent, but his clenched fists and tensed jaw showed how angry he was. Xiaoyu knew him well enough to know that he hated to be used and so did she.

"Let's go get some sleep," she offered, yawning.

He nodded and they left the hall to reach the elevator. The young man didn't say a word in the minutes that followed, until they were lying under the covers.

The young woman turned off the light and closed her eyes, enjoying the comfortable bed and soft pillow, sighing with ease.

"Xiao?"

She turned to face Hwoarang, who was lying in the sofa next to her bed. Darkness prevented her to see him, but she knew he was looking at her.

"Yes?"

"That old fool is in your group. If you ever face him, promise me to kick his ass."

"I'll consider myself lucky if I manage to hit him even once…"

"In this case, I'll be the one that will break his face…"

"Sleep if you want to be in shape for tomorrow!"

"You're fighting before me if I may recall you. But then again, knowing you, you'll surely want to attend Kazama's fight…"

She remained silent, thanking the darkness for hiding her burning cheeks.

"Oh ho, have I seen clear in your mind?"

"Shut up!"

"Hmm… By the way, do you talk in your sleep?"

"Hmm, no, I don't think so, why?"

"Because I don't wanna hear you moan in the middle of the night _Jin! Oh Jin! I love you Jin!_" he imitated in a high-pitched voice.

She threw her pillow at his face to silence him, dying of shame, and he loudly laughed, proud of himself.

The night was going to be long…

.

.

Jin effortlessly dodged Lili's foot which was aiming for his face and he hit the knee of her supporting leg, making her fell to the ground.

He had spent a bad night.

In addition to his recurrent nightmares, Azazel would not leave him any night of peace.

_"Soon", he said in his tortured mind, "soon..."_

And Jin could not help shivering at the thought that soon, everything would be over...

He had therefore exceptionally decided to go to sleep at the Mishima hotel with other fighters, unable to stand the suffocating atmosphere of the Manor anymore. Nobody knew that he had a private suite in the hotel, apart from Nina and Eddy.

He had entered by a secret door in the building, at a late hour to avoid meeting anyone, even though the majority of the combatants were already sleeping.

When he had entered the hall, it was deserted, only the table display of the fighting was on light. His name was shining in red next to the one of Émilie de Rochefort, aka Lili, whom he would face at eight o'clock in the morning.

He had prepared to take the elevator, when he had heard a laugh close by.

He had frozen. He knew that laughter. It was Xiaoyu's.

His heart had started to pound in his chest and curiosity had taken precedence over caution. Moving without a noise, he had reached the entrance of the lobby. He had thrown a stealthy glance in the room and seen the young woman, sitting next to Hwoarang.

They were turning their back at him, sitting in a couch and watching television while joking.

Jin knew that it was not correct to spy like that, but he had been unable to prevent himself.

Seeing the young woman so close to Hwoarang had reminded him that a few years ago, it was him who was in the red-haired's shoes. It also made him realize the distance he had established between them two, although despite him.

Seeing them laugh and get along so well, he had felt his heart shake in his chest and immediately slapped himself mentally.

Xiaoyu was not his, she was free to choose whoever she wanted and he had no right over her.

On the contrary, he should be glad that she was with someone like Hwoarang. Even if he did not like him, he knew that he was straight and loyal, and that he would never hurt her.

He was not cursed, he would never endanger her, he would protect her and had a future to offer.

While him…

He had sighed discreetly and chased out the feeling of intense sorrow which had begun to grow inside him.

Sometimes, he wondered what he had done to earn such a life…

Sometimes, he felt like stopping everything, giving up everything and fleeing from everything…

Sometimes, he just wanted to cry…

But he simply could not.

So he would grin and bear it, and hope that everything would be over soon…

The blonde girl cried with exasperation, seeing that she couldn't touch him.

He was barely fighting. He disliked fighting against women and, even if his opponent wanted to see him dead, he could not bring himself to harm her.

She looked like a little girl with her long blond hair and her white lace dress, but Jin knew that she was fierce in combat. He was just hoping to tire her enough for the fight to end quickly.

Red hair among the crowd caught his attention and he deflected his eyes to see his rival staring at him.

Xiaoyu was near him, her hands raised to her mouth and Jin was sure that she was biting her tumb nail.

He suppressed an amused smile, thinking that, even after all these years, he knew her as well as always...

_._

_._

Xiaoyu was watching the fight, her face crinkled by anxiety.

Jin looked like his mind was elsewhere, which was not in his habits when he fought. He would always throw himself completely in his fight, and release his attention only once his opponent was KO.

Lili, furious, lunged at him and kicked him hard. He protected his face in extremis with his arm and the shock made him back up a few steps. The violence of the kick had cracked his right gauntlet and he took it from his forearm, as the well as the other to throw them to the ground.

His expression radically changed.

He looked ready to kill her. Each pore of him skin exuded anger and hatred, and he bounced on Lili.

A silver glow caught her gaze, on Jin's right wrist. She thought her heart would explode when she recognized the bracelet he was wearing…

_._

_._

_Standing before the door, Xiaoyu was reluctant to knock. _

_Sucking her lips, her heart pounding hard, she was trying to gather her courage to reach and knock at the door, but somehow, she could not._

_She had been standing there for at least ten minutes, and the two persons that had passed by had looked at her as if she was mad._

_Jesus! she thought. I must really look stupid! Why am I so nervous?_

_The door opened suddenly, making her jump and cry out of surprise._

_Jin stood in the doorway, eyebrows raised._

_"Xiao? What are you doing here?"_

"_Hum… I was…"_

"_It's been ten minutes that I'm hearing you pacing back and forth, so I thought you were plotting a trick."_

"_What do you mean, a trick?" she was outraged._

"_I don't know, you tell me."_

"_Seriously ? Come on!" she exclaimed. "Like I would… __Oh to hell with it!"_

_She spun on her heels and turned back, upset against him and herself. Jin grabbed her arm and made her turn to face him. He had an amused smile on his lips._

"_Come on, I was kidding! You should not take comments too seriously, Xiao, otherwise, you might have problems in the future."_

_She remained silent, her mouth twisted into a pout, her eyes staring at the floor._

"_I don't like to see you sulk. A Xiaoyu who's not smiling, that's really not normal."_

"_I don't smile all the time," she protested. "Just because I have a smile on my face doesn't mean I'm happy."_

"_I know," he said. "You always keep whatever is wrong for you, and you carry on smiling, as if you didn't want to impose your problems on the others. As if you wanted to show only one facet of your personality."_

_When exactly had the conversation turned into an analysis of her behavior?_

"_I didn't think you would have dissected the way I act that much," she told him to hide her discomfort._

"_I always pay attention to the persons I care about, even if I don't show it," he admitted with a shrug._

_Her heart began to beat harder when she realized what he just told her and a feeling of intense joy started to invade her mind._

"_It's true that I'd rather keep my problems for me," she admitted. "I'm not of the kind of girl that complains to everyone and I don't think there's anything wrong about that."_

"_I know, and I do the same. Only, I have the impression that you're struggling to behave in a way that's not entirely natural. I know that you're of a happy and exuberant nature most of the time, but even when something is wrong, you persist in hiding behind this facade."_

"_Hum…"_

_She was lost for words. She really did not believe that he could be so far-sighted._

"_You're my friend, Xiao," he continued. "And I feel that this behavior of circumstances that you're adopting is a little dishonest toward me."_

"_Dishonest?" she exclaimed._

"_I mean," he resumed, embarrassed. "If you're angry, be angry. If you want to cry, then cry. If you want to sulk throughout the week, do it. But just don't force yourself to be this naive and carefree girl."_

"_Uh…" she began. "I fear that people would turn away from me if I'm not nice all the time. I'm not one of these popular girls who have everything for them. I'm insignificant compared to these girls who are confident and comfortable in their own skin. I'm afraid of losing the few people who are my friends if I allow myself to be morose or angry."_

"_Xiao," he sighed._

"_No, let me finish. You're the only friend I have here, Jin. I tried everything to be accepted by the others but it failed. Apart from Heihachi and you, I know almost no one else. And I really fear that you would grow tired of me and you would leave me if I'm not always smiling and in good spirits with you."_

_She kept her eyes on the floor, her cheeks burning. She regreted to have unveiled so much to Jin, and she was ashamed to complain for so little. She really felt like a spoilt little girl._

_A pat on the head made her whine indignantly and she looked up to find that her companion had a big smile on his lips._

"_How stupid can you be ?" he laughed. " I wouldd never leave you for something that frivolous. I like people to be honest with me, either it is in their words or their behavior. __So it's up to you."_

_She remained silent for a moment, assimilating what he told her, and then she gave him a big genuine smile._

"_Thank you." _

"_Don't thank me. You're the only friend I have, you know."_

_She fell on his neck without thinking, and he stood idly by, surprised but amused._

"_Looks like I have to get used to this kind of effusion."_

"_If it bothers you, I'll quit."_

"_No, I'm just not used to it. But it will come, I need to socialise more."_

_She broke out laughing and relaxed, her heart lighter._

"_Do you want to come in by the way?" he offered._

"_Hum… Yes…"_

_He pushed the door to let her enter his room. Shelooked around with with her eyes wide open to remember everything. It was the first time that she entered his room, and she felt that she had a part of him before the eyes._

_The walls were white, as well as the furniture which were few. The room was large and light, everything was clean, clear and tidy. A bonsai was placed on the balcony, and a few pots in which flowers were growing._

"_You still haven't told me what you wanted," he reminded her._

_Her throat dried and she hesitated a moment before pulling out a small package from her pocket and handed it with both hands. His surprised look almost made her burst out laughing, but she was too anxious to do it._

"_Happy birthday," she wished him with a quivering voice._

_He looked at her with astonishment, until a smile spread on his mouth._

"_Thank you," he warmly said. "But… how did you know?"_

"_Oh," she said, shrugging. "I heard girls in high school talking about it."_

_She was absolutely not to tell him that she had harassed the entire staff of the building in which they lived to have this information. He would think she was plain crazy._

_He carefully removed the packaging of his gift and took out a little black velvet case. He opened it and stared at its contents with an unreadable look, before gently taking the thin silver bracelet adorned with a small pendant._

_Xiaoyu felt her anxiety double for fear that her gift might not please him._

"_I know that the chrysanthemum is an important flower in Japan, and in China too, by the way," she stumbled. "And I learned that in the fifteenth century, samurai were offered yellow chrysanthemums when they left to fight, to give them courage and bravery. And… well, I thought that you might use some lucky charms for the tournament…"_

_The young man remained silent, eyes fixed on the jewellery and Xiaoyu thought she was going to scream with frustration._

_He looked up to face her and she realised with astonishment that he was moved._

"_The yellow chrysanthemum," he said with an altered voice, "was my mother's favourite flower"._

_Blunder… she thought with despair. It wasn't supposed to remind him of his dead mother, but encourage him to do his best… Oh what an idiot…_

"_Thank you very much," he went on. "You cannot imagine how happy I am."_

_And he knelt to bow before her. Incredibly embarrassed, she went on her knees before him and he raised his head._

"_I hate that," she protested. "You don't have to be on your knees."_

_He looked embarrassed._

"_I did not know how to express my gratitude in a different way."_

"_Hmm, nevertheless it's very embarrassing."_

_He broke out laughing before her grimace and handed her the bracelet._

"_Put it on my right wrist, please."_

_She obeyed and tied it carefully. It was so thin that it could barely be seen, which was good._

"_Your bracelet will accompany me every time I will fight. I feel on the right way to win the tournament now."_

"_Eh! Don't forget that I'm in too!"_

"_Right, perhaps I should offer you the same bracelet to give you luck then? Although, considering your situation, a matching necklace and ring will be required to be really efficient…"_

_Outraged, she threw herself on him to make him eat his words…_

_._

_._

Lili was on her knees, unable to get up, her head low and breathing erratically.

Jin turned after been announced winner and Xiaoyu felt sorry for the young woman, seeing tears slide down her cheeks. She wiped them and got up painfully, before leaving the place limping.

_He kept my gift. He has always kept it with him, it was just hidden in his gantelet…_

Heart-lighted, she turned to Hwoarang, who stared at his rival, with an indecipherable look.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Almost half past eight. That jerk was fast!"

"I have enough time to change my clothes then, will you come with me?"

"Yeah, I'll use your sofa in the meantime. I should have stayed in bed instead of getting up that early for just half an hour of fighting! That will teach me to listen to you!"

"Oh for heaven's sake, stop complaining! I didn't force you to come and see Jin's fight!"

"Thank goodness!"

"This conversation is useless," she sighed. "You're unbearable!"

"But you still love me!"

"Oh shut up!"

_._

_._

She was finishing putting her hair in two ponytails when someone knocked on her door. Intrigued, she went to open and recognized Miharu, accompanied by Panda.

Deliriously happy, she jumped at them and kissed them, jumping everwhere.

"I finished work early today, so I thought I was going to visit you."

"You did well!" she exclaimed, stroking the back of Panda, who groaned with satisfaction. "I missed you both!"

"We missed you too, Panda has even tried to escape several times to come and find you."

Xiaoyu scratched her head, touched.

"You big hair ball! You look better. You will be able to accompany me then. My fight is at noon, at the Hie Jinja."

"It'll be eleven soon," Miharu noticed. "If we leave now, we can walk there. The weather is rather mild."

"Good idea, I'll wake Hwoarang up."

"Hwoarang?" her friend exclaimed. "He… he's here?"

"Yes, he fell asleep on the couch."

Miharu's cheeks had suddenly become red, and Xiaoyu chuckled.

"He'll be glad to see you again," she said with a complicit gaze.

"Humph," her friend grumbled, diverting the gaze.

Xiaoyu joigned the young man who was lying on her sofa, his head hanging loose, his mouth wide open, snoring like a cherub. She nearly burst out laughing before such a ridiculous sight and awakened him gently.

He emerged, still looking groggy, and then stood meekly. After swallowing a glass of water, he came out of the studio gaping widely and stretching before freezing.

"Miharu?" he exclaimed in a disbelieving voice.

"Hi," she mumbled, her cheeks still red.

He had a big smile and quickly hugged her, making her blush even more.

"It's so nice to see you again!"

"Yes…" she stammered, embarrassed by his exuberance.

"You haven't changed," he noticed, still smiling. "You're as pretty as ever!"

"Hmmm…" she mumbled, more embarrassed than ever.

"And Panda is here too!" he exclaimed while gently scraping the head of the animal. "I heard that you were injured, but it looks like you're going well. You can protect your mistress now."

Panda groaned and nodded and Hwoarang looked satisfied.

"Well, if everyone is ready, we can go," Xiaoyu offered.

"Who are you fighting?" Miharu, whose cheeks had returned to their normal color, asked.

"Lei Wulong," her friend replied.

"Oh, I think that I remember him! It's the man with a long ponytail that comes from Hong Kong, right?"

"Absolutely," grimaced Xiaoyu. "The one whose fighting style is so changing that it's a complete brain-teaser!"

"Oh come on," Miharu reassured her. "I'm sure you're gonna beat him, you just need to be focused."

"Right! Like I never am!"

"Should I really remind you that you lost against Christie in the last tournament because your concentration vanished as soon as you saw Jin in the crowd?"

"Humph…"

"Hahahahaha !" Hwoarang exploded. "And that's not an evidence that you're in love with that guy ?"

"Panda, Panda…" Xiaoyu sighed while stroking her head, "you really are the only one that's on my side…"

_._

_._

It had been a quarter of an hour that Xiaoyu was waiting.

Impatience began to win her over, especially since the fight should have begun ten minutes ago. Not that she was disappointed with the idea of not fighting, but Lei could have at least warn the tournament officials that he did not plan to fight today.

At least she would not have had to prepare for nothing.

She turned to look at Miharu and Hwoarang. He made an explicit grimace while Miharu had a compassionate look.

The crowd split suddenly and she turned to see Lei, moving towards her with a lazy smile, without any hurry.

"Sorry, I forgot to wake up."

She almost wanted to kick him in the face immediately, but preferred to wait for the beginning of the match to allow herself to outbreaks of violence.

He walked up before her, his benevolent face lightened by a friendly smile.

"Miss Ling, hello," he said in Chinese. "I am sorry for having you wait for nothing."

"I thought you had given up," she admitted.

He broke out laughing.

"Can we meet tomorrow afternoon?" he asked. "I must speak to you."

Although surprised, Xiaoyu nodded, wondering what he had to tell her.

"You'll find me in the lobby of the Mishima hotel, at two o'clock. I will be as quick as possible."

"All right."

He stepped backwards keeping his eyes on her and she put herself into her fighting stance, adrenaline rushing into her veins.

Finally!

She knew that the match would be complicated, but it made things more interesting. Lei was an excellent fighter and she would have to be more careful than usual if she wanted to have a chance to win this battle.

"I'm giving up!" he exclaimed abruptly.

The tension suddenly fell and, for a second, she thought she had heard him wrong.

"What?" she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

"I'm giving up," he repeated.

The audience started to protest and the referee joigned the two fighters, frowning.

"What is wrong, Wulong-san?" he asked.

"I'm not fighting," Lei said, raising his Chinese tunic, unveiling the bandages around his torso. "Feng Wei broke two of my ribs during my first fight," he continued. "I cannot fight in these conditions."

"Wait, you're not giving up, are you?!" the young woman excaimed.

"Miss Ling, I'd like to be able to face you, but it would not be fair with two broken ribs. Moreover, this tournament is not that important for me, I'm quitting without any regrets."

"Are you sure?" the referee asked.

"Absolutely."

"I'm sorry," he apologised to Xiaoyu, while the referee was announcing his forfeit. "I thought that telling you in person would be more polite."

"I understand," she said. "But I'm sorry for you."

"Don't," he replied with a smile. "My goal was not to fight, but I will explain everything tomorrow."

He briefly bowed then turned away under the applause of the crowd. Still in shock, Xiaoyu turned to her friends who were smiling brightly. She smiled too, despite the multiple questions in her head…

_._

_._

Eight forty-five in the evening.

Xiaoyu and Miharu saw with relief that Anna could not get up after the formidable blow inflicted by Hwoarang.

At the beginning of the fight, the young man had succumbed to the young woman's charms and she had taken the advantage of the opportunity to literally kick his ass.

He had nevertheless pulled himself together and had violently attacked and without any remorse. But Anna was a fearless fighter and he had had trouble realizing his attacks, as she was evading them quickly.

He had finally managed to cross her guard and had kept on kicking her. Shattered, the young woman had had difficulty to regain her balance and he had not waited to give her the coup de grace, understanding that he should have no mercy on her.

When he was announced winner, Xiaoyu jumped over to hug him. He had a big smile on his lips, despite his injuries and he seemed quite proud of himself, as shown by the waving he was giving the public.

Miharu gave him a pat on the head. Splitting the crowd, they wandered in the streets, looking for a sushi bar where Hwoarang absolutely wanted to celebrate his victory.

On their way, Xiaoyu's cell phone started to ring and she picked it up quickly.

"Hello? Oh, good evening Asuka, how's it going?"

"Tell her to join us!" Hwoarang exclaimed.

"Aaaah shut up! No, not you Asuka! Ah yes, he's with me, why? What! But… Jesus Christ…" she whispered. "Yes… OK… Yes…"

She hung on, her face pale. Hwoarang, who had followed the conversation, stared at her with his brows frown.

"What's going on?"

She looked up to him and he read a mixture of sadness, compassion and uncertainty which scared him.

"Your master was facing Bryan Fury tonight…"

"Yes…" he replied, anxiety suddenly rising.

"He… He's in a coma… »

_._

_._

**TBC...**


	7. No surrender

_Hey guys ! Thank you for your support; it really boosted me to translate the remaining chapters. Thanks a lot to __**Princesse d'Argent**__, __**shadowneko003, Nina Kazama, MovieVillain **__and __**A gazillion is not a number**__ for your oh so nice reviews__**.**_

_Special thanks to__** NibelungValesti**__, your review made me realize that my translation was not the best I could do. Actually, when I read it again, I was ashamed of the stupid mistakes there were. _

_I have to admit that I used to rely on Google Translator because it was easier. But from now on, I'll do it entirely by myself. I also corrected the previous chapters so, please, let me know if you think it is better or not._

_Now, here's chapter seven, I hope you'll like it._

* * *

**.**

**Chapter VII – No surrender**

**.**

**.**

_She had insisted on celebrating his birthday, despite his refusal, and she had managed to convince him and drag him out._

_They were thus in a French bakery, looking for the perfect birthday cake, at eight o'clock in the evening._

"_What about this one?" she asked, mouth-watering before a sponge cake with strawberries and whipped cream._

"_Hum," he answered with a shrug._

"_And that one?" she asked again, noticing a huge white forest cake._

"_Humf…"_

"_Oh come one! Make an effort!"_

"_I don't know which one to pick!" he whined. "There is too much choice!"_

"_What about buying several small cakes?"_

"_Good idea," he nodded, smiling._

_They made up their mind and then, Xiaoyu dragged him to a sushi bar, despite his protests. She ordered two dozens of sushi to take away, while he was groaning about the young woman's stubbornness._

"_Are we good now? Can we go home?" he asked as they left the restaurant._

"_No, we need drinks!" _

"_Xiao," he sighed, "I swear, you don't have to do all this."_

"_A birthday must be celebrated," she stated._

"_I haven't celebrated it for the last three years, and I'm none the worse for it," he admitted._

_She suddenly tuned to face him, astonished._

"_What? You haven't celebrated it in three years?"_

"_Yes."_

"_You can't be serious!" she exclaimed, shaking her head._

"_I have no friends or family to celebrate it with, Xiao," he said with a gentle voice in which she could yet hear melancholia. "I learned to deal with it."_

"_Look, this year is different," she pleaded with puppy eyes. "I'm with you! So stop fighting and complaining!"_

"_Well…" he sighed. "It seems like I have no choice."_

"_Exactly!"_

_She quickly brought him to a konbini where they bought several bottles of fruit juices and then headed for the Mishima building. _

_Once in the elevator, she asked Jin to fetch some tableware in the kitchens while she would prepare everything. He gave her his room keys, explaining that it was more spacious than hers, and she joyfully agreed._

_They split and she ran to Jin's room and quickly opened it. Enter his room was her feel the same way as the first time : both excited and happy._

_She turned on the little lamp on his desk, which gave a soft and dim light._

_The coffee table in the middle of the room was empty, so she quickly put the food they had bought, making it nicely set. She took from her bag the candles she had bought a few days ago and stuck them in the little cakes before lighting them._

_The candles lightened the room, making it more intimist._

_She got up, pleased with everything and waited for Jin's return._

_He arrived a few minutes later, holding plates, glasses and chopsticks. He froze when he saw the table and a smile spread on his lips, a smile that warmed Xiaoyu to the core. She had rarely seen him looking as happy as he did._

"_It's beautiful," he said._

"_I'm glad you like it!"_

"_I must admit it was a great idea," he said as he knelt before the table, facing her. "And I'm starving."_

"_You must blow your candles first! And don't forget to make a wish!"_

"_A wish?"_

"_That's what Westerners do," she explained him. "They make a wish and then blow their candles."_

"_And does it work?" he asked with scepticism._

"_No idea. Why don't you try?"_

_He made a face and stared at the candles before taking a deep breath and blowing the lights that extinguished instantaneously._

"_And now, let's eat!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, taking her chopsticks. "I took a little bit of everything for the sushi, I hope it's fine. Do you prefer tuna or salmon maki?"_

"_I'm vegetarian."_

"_You… Oh! Really?" she exclaimed as she froze, eyes wide. _

"_Yes."_

"_Oh well… I think there are avocado and cucumber as well. You can take them. I'm sorry, I didn't know."_

"_It's OK," he reassured her with a smile._

"_And… How long have you been a vegetarian?"_

"_I've sort of always been," he said, taking an avocado maki. "My mother was, but she has never prevented me from eating meat. However, when I was five, I realized where meat came from when a saw a fisherman capture a fish and start making sashimi with his flesh. I have stopped eating it ever since."_

"_Don't you miss it?"_

"_Not really. I took on this diet because of my convictions, because I think we can live without killing animals to eat them. Moreover, the livestock farming conditions awful. And I cannot support that. My mother taught me to respect every creature's life, even the most insignificant."_

_The young girl looked at the salmon sushi between her chopsticks and felt guilty._

"_Don't look like that!" Jin laughed. "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty or change your mind."_

"_I know, it's just that I had never thought about that," she admitted with a small voice. "But how do you keep your muscles? Somehow, you must have to eat proteins, right?"_

_Their conversation went on for hours and Xiaoyu felt thrilled to learn more about Jin. They had never chatted that long and about so many things, and she was happy that he was in such a good state of mind._

_He then offered her to watch a movie and she accepted with joy. He turned on his TV and let her choose a DVD. She selected Kill Bill and laid down on his large futon, which was put on a bed base, while Jin was playing the movie._

_She picked a chocolate éclair and Jin joined her and chose a small raspberry tart._

_Xiaoyu beamed at him. She was so happy she felt like laughing until the end of times._

_She thanked the gods for offering her such a wonderful night with Jin and, even if she was enjoying, she was memorising every moment and every word to have beautiful memories. She wished that night had never ended, but she felt lucky for having shared it with Jin nevertheless…_

.

.

Xiaoyu woke with a start, before recognizing the place she was at.

She had fallen asleep on Miharu's shoulder, who was leaning on Panda's back. Asuka and Steve were quietly discussing in a corner of the waiting room of the hospital. Xiaoyu rose, making a face as she felt her back aching.

"What time is it?" she muttered to Asuka.

"Nearly four in the morning."

"And Hwoarang? Where is he?"

"I think he left to smoke."

"I'll join him," she said as she left the room.

Asuka and Steve were in the crowd during Baek fight against Bryan, and they had witnessed the cyborg beat the hell out of the taekwondo master. After an hour of fight, he had smashed him to the ground and punched his face endlessly.

The referee and themselves had to bounce of Bryan to stop him and snatch him from his bloody and knocked out opponent after he had been declared winner.

They had called the emergency services immediately and had accompanied the wounded man in the ambulance to the Mishima hospital.

Hwoarang, Miharu, Panda and Xiaoyu had arrived less than fifteen minutes after Asuka's call and the young man has literally rushed like a tornado in the hospital.

The surgeons had eventually reassured him by explaining that Baek had been operated on after his head trauma, that the operation had been successful and that he might wake up in the following days.

Xiaoyu went down the stairs to reach the ground floor and take advantage of it to buy a hot chocolate at the vending machine, feeling her throat dry. She went through the hall and recognized Law and Christie, who had lost their fight and had come to have their injuries healed.

According to what she had heard, Law had lost against Heihachi. Despite his experience and speed, the poor man was no match for the Mishima patriarch, even he had fought well. He had ended with a plaster cast in an arm and was chatting with his friend Paul Phoenix who had an impressive bruise on his face, souvenir from his fight against Kazuya on the first round.

As for Christie, she defeated Mokujin rather easily on her first fight in spite of his endless changing of fighting styles, but she had the misfortune to face Jack 6 o the second round.

She had taken it out on the robot and used every powerful blow she knew, but it had not seemed affected by her attacks. When it had counter attacked, his titanic power had gotten the better of her.

She was sitting in an armchair, by herself, her head low, looking by the window. Xiaoyu felt sorry for her and wanted to talk to her before remembering that she did not know her and might prefer to be left alone.

Then, seeing how miserable she looked, she forced herself to join her.

"Here," she said softly, handing the Brazilian woman her cup. "Some hot chocolate to make you feel better."

The young woman turned, surprised, then smiled sadly and took the cup.

"Looks like I need some," she said and swallowed some.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Oh, yes," Christie answered. "I'm used to it now… To being eliminated on the second round," she added with a forced laugh.

But her eyes were still sad and shiny, and Xiaoyu knew she was trying not to cry.

"I saw your match on TV," Xiaoyu went on, "you did your best but no one can beat such a machine, you should not be sad."

"I'm not sad about that," she said. "I entered the tournament because I'm looking for relatives. Now that I have lost, I'm hopeless…"

"Who are you looking for, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My grandfather and my friend Eddy. They both disappeared without warning and I'm really worried, because my grandfather is very ill. I learned that he had been admitted to the Mishima hospital to treat him, but I have no information about Eddy."

"Eddy Gordo?"

"Yes, he took part in the Tekken tournament several times, but he disappeared at the end of the fifth one."

"He hasn't disappeared," Xiaoyu answered, surprised. "I saw him a few days ago."

"What?" Christied yelled, jumping out of her armchair. "Where?"

"But… At the opening reception," she said, completely lost. "You must have seen him too, right?"

"I didn't attend. I arrived the day before the beginning of the tournament because my fight had been cancelled last minute. He was there? Did you talk to him?"

"No, I didn't… But… I mean, he works for Jin. I thought you knew about it."

Christie was speechless.

"I didn't," she breathed. "But this can't be! Eddy hates everything about the Mishima Zaibatsu! He would never work for them!"

"Well, he's one of Jin's bodyguards, along with Nina Williams…"

"I can't believe it… It's impossible…"

"Why?"

"Because Kazuya Mishima had his father assassinated when he was young. He was a target as well, and he had to lie and say he was his father's murderer to escape from the Zaibatsu by being imprisoned. That's why I don't understand! He would never ally with this family of murderers!"

"Jin isn't a murderer!" Xiaoyu protested.

"Oh really? What about the raids he's launching all over the world? Is it for fun? Julia told me her grandfather was assassinated on Heihachi's order! Eddy became an orphan because of Kazuya and Miguel lost his sister during a bombing ordered by Jin! The Mishimas have more blood on their hands than the mafia!"

Xiaoyu remained silent, feeling her heart tighten painfully.

Christie was right. The Mishimas were responsible of countless deaths, but she coud not bring herself to consider Jin as a murderer. She just could not.

"Forgive me," Christie said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're not the responsible, I shouldn't have yelled on you. You're nice enough to come and confort me…"

"It's okay," Xiaoyu replied with a lifeless voice as she stood up, remembering Hwoarang. "Good luck to find Eddy and your grandfather."

"Thank you, good luck for the tournament."

She left, the feeling of unease still present, and then went out of the building to reach the place reserved to smokers. Her head was buzzing and she could not wait for everything to finally end.

Her friend was there, sittig on a bench, his head in his hands.

She hesitated to join him, knowing that he hated being seen when he had weakness moments, but the situation was too important for her to care.

She sat next to him and put her arm around his frozen shoulders. He did not break from her, nor did he push her away, on the contrary.

He buried his face against her shoulder and she hearded him cry softly.

She was uncomfortable as she had never ever seen him cry and did not know what to say to comfort him. She knew how important Baek was to him. He was like a father to Hwoarang, he was the one who took him out of the streets and who taught him taekwondo.

She knew the affection between the two men and could easily understand her friend's fear of losing him, after having lived that before the third tournament.

She hugged him, muttering comforting words and he slowly calmed down. She shivered when the wind started to blow, as she was still wearing her light fighting outfit.

"We'd better go back inside," she offered. "It's warmer."

He nodded, got up and discreatly blew his nose before following her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Don't be."

"I hate making a spectacle of myself."

"Well, your emotions need to get out one way or the other. I'd rather you cry than hit me," she added, laughing lightly.

He laughed too, wiped his eyes and they joined the others in the waiting room.

.

.

Xiaoyu had almost forgotten Lei Wulong.

After spending the might and morning at the hospital with her friends, she had gone home just in time to take a shower and change clothes before heading to the Mishima hotel.

Hwoarang would meet her later to train and mainly to check the results of yesterday's matches. She had advised him to rest considering the sleppless night he had spent by his master's bedside, but he dismissed her offer.

She had understood that, now that he was reassured about his master's health, he would devote himself to his training for revenge. And he would not be merciful.

When she entered the empty hall of the hotel, she noticed that Lei was not arrived yet. She reached the notice board, her heart pounding. Her worst fears were confirmed.

Bryan Fury VS Hwoarang. Four pm. Tokyo Tower.

Ling Xiaoyu VS Mishima Heihachi. Eight pm. Ueno Parc.

Her heart was pounding. How was she supposed to face Heihachi? How was she even supposed to stand up to him? She knew she was a good fighter, but she also knew that she did not stand a chance against her former mentor.

As for Hwoarang, she was afraid he would go too far in his quest for revenge. She had heard rumors about Bryan as a very powerful and sadic man and, even if she knew her friend was very powerful as well, she felt her worries increase more and more.

Footsteps resonated behind her and she turned, thinking that inspector Wulong had finally arrived. Her heart stopped beating for a minute when she recognize the person behind her.

Tall and imposing, coldly staring at her with her red eye and an evil grin on his lips, Kazuya Mishima was standing less than five foot from her. He was giving off so much bad wibes that the young woman felt frozen to the core by his simple presence.

Behind him, Anna, wearing her red Chinese dress, gave her a taunting smile and Bruce Irvin staring at her with contempt. According to people, these two were Kazuya's bodguards and were as redoubtable as Jin's.

She shamefully realized that she was shaking and she gritted her teeth to calm the fear she had of the terrifying man before her. He briefly shifted his gaze to glance at the board, then stared at her again.

"So you're facing my father tomorrow, little girl," he said with a husky and and mocking voice. "Try not to damage him too much, I have a bone to pick with him!"

His words reminded her about what Yoshimitsu had told her about the intense hatred between the two men and she shivered when she felt it emanating from Kazuya.

"As for my son," he went on with a cruel smile, "if you see him, be nice and tell him to enjoy the last moment he has to live."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" she said as an act of bravado, before cursing her shaking voice.

He broke out laughing, a laugh that scared the hell out of her as it was cold and of ill omen. Her whole body was tense, alert, and ready to react to any possible attack from that man. Nobody had ever made her feel so bad.

_He's not human, she tought, staring against her will at that frightening red eye. Nobody can be as bad as he is…_

"Oh but he knows it," he answered. "He knows the outcome of this tournament is inevitable. The countdown has already begun," he smiled evily as he turned to leave. "Say your farewells to him when you still have time…"

Followed by his two bodyguards, he disappeared in the elevator that closed on his disdainful and cold smile.

Their conversation had barely lasted five minutes but she felt like hours had passed in his presence.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and screamed with a start. Lei was behind her, looking utterly surprised and sorry. She put a hand on her pounding heart.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized.

"It's okay," she answered. "It's not you… It's…"

"Kazuya," he finished, glancing at the elevator. "I saw him talking to you when I arrived."

"He is…"

"Terrifying," he finished again. "It's true."

How in the world could he have had a son so different from him? Why would people compare Jin with that man when they were diametrically opposed?

As if he had read her mind, Lei shifted his gaze with a sigh.

"Thank God his son only inherited his looks. Fort the rest, he's just like his mother. Although, considering what he's doing as the head of the Zaibatsu, I'm more and more doubtful."

Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow when he mentioned Jin's mother.

"Did you know his mother?"

"Of course," he answered with a smile. "She was a close friend. We met during the second tournament. We were both investigating on Kazuya."

He showed her the outside of the building and they departed.

"She was sent by the WWWC and me by Interpol. Kazuya was suspected of drug trafficking, linked with Bruce Irving. Jun was investigating on genetic experiments he would have financed on endangered species. I had managed to arrest Bruce at the end of the second tournament, but Kazuya had our plane crash and I survived by some miracle."

"But why did he have it crash?"

"To get rid of Irvin. He knew too much about him and his dirty business, and he didn't want him to reveal anything."

"Why is he still working for him then?"

"I think he's never known that Kazuya ordered this attack."

As they were discussing, they had reached a small parc close to the hotel, and Lei sat on a bench, crossing his hands behind his head.

"Aaaah, what a nice day," he sighed. "I'd gladly take a nap…"

"Inspector, yesterday you said you wanted to talk to me. What is it about?"

Lei lazily opened an eye, stared at her and said:

"You have changed a lot since the third tournament, Miss Ling. I remember you as a cheerful teenager, always accompanied by her giant panda. Now I'm facing a young woman, less cheerful. And without her panda."

Xiaoyu remained silent, not expecting an answer like that, not knowing what to say.

"Yet, something hasn't changed," he went on. "It's your interest for Jin Kazama."

"What?" she exclaimed, feeling her cheek redden.

"You were always concerned about him during the third Tekken. And I feel you still are."

"I… That's right," she sighed. "I'm afraid of what he's becoming."

Lei remained silent, gazing at the trees surrounding them.

"When Jun told me she was pregnant, after the end of the tournament," he went on with a melancholic voice, "I couldn't believe it. I really tried, but I couldn't understand how she could have been intimate with a man like Kazuya. She told me there was still some goodness in him but also a lot of evil which could eventually completely overwhelm him. She had tried to help him, but his hatred was way too strong."

Xiaoyu felt like she had been punched in the chest when she realized she was in the exact same shoes Jun was twenty years ago.

"She really did try her best to help Kazuya. And, you know, you remind me of her."

She remained silent, not knowing what to answer.

"Don't give up," he said. "Jin isn't like his father, he can still be saved. He needs you, only you can help him."

"How?" she asked, her eyes filled with tears. "How am I supposed to help him when I reprent nothing to him? I wish I could help him, but tell me how!"

She shamefully felt tears roll down her cheeks.

"I'm sick of these wars, these dirty secrets, these dead people, that hatred… I wish everything would stop and be like it used to be…"

She collapsed on the bench and buried her face in her heads, ashamed of giving in before this man. She felt his comforting arm aroung her shoulders.

"I know how hard it is for you," he said with a soft voice. "And I know you feel useless. But don't give up. You're the only friend he has left. "

She sniffed and almost told him that Jin has not considered her as a friend for a long time.

"When I heard abourt Jun's death, I was devastated. I've blamed myself for a long time for not being able to protect her, and I still do."

Raising her head, she saw him lower his as he sighed deeply. He looked so sad.

"You live in Hong Kong," she reminded him. "How could you predict that she would be have been attacked? You would have been able to make it on time. "

"I know," he sighed. "But she was my only friend. I miss her."

She lowered her gaze, feeling sympathety for Lei. She would certainly feel the same if Jin was to disappear. Maybe worse.

He finally got up and stretched out.

"Thank you for taking the time to listen to me," he said with a smile.

"Thank you for telling me all this."

"Whatever choice you make, I hope you won't regret it. And if you ever feel like talking, feel free to call me," he added as he gave her his card.

She thanked him and put it in her bag. He briefly hesitated before telling her :

"He saw that your friend Hwoarang is facing Bryan Fury tomorrow."

"Indeed," she confirmed, feeling her anxiety rise.

"Tell him to beware of him," Lei warned her, his face serious. "I heard that both Professor Abel and Boskonovitch had made experiments on him."

"Experiments?"

"He too was part of the international police, but he was a shady and corrumpted policeman, involved in drug trafficking. He was supposed to be dead after been killed by two Hong Kong gangs. I don't what thses two scientists did, but you must warn your friend that Bryan is redoubtable. He killed several members of the Manji clan.

"Yoshimitsu's clan?" the shocked woman exclaimed.

"Tell him to be careful. He's no ordinary opponent."

She nodded and Lei's face lightened a bit.

"Good luck for the tournament, Miss Ling."

She thanked him and they bowed before he walked away. Xiaoyu watched him leave, her mind full of new informations, and then she sat back on the bench and sighed deeply.

Lei was right, she should not give up on Jin. Nevermind if he did not want her help, she would not stop, if only in remembrance of their former friendship. She noticed pink chrysanthemums, growing next to a copse next to her, and a memory came to her mind…

.

.

_Xiaoyu took a hair pick decorated with delicate pink fabric chrysanthemums, sticked it in her bun and looked at her reflection._

_After spending her week end searching, she had finally found a traditionnal costume in a small shop in an ancient area of Tokyo, not too expensive and ready to wear._

_She had nevertheless spent hours training to put it on and she had struggled, not being used Japanese outfits._

_Yet, she was quite proud of the result._

_Today was a sunny day, and she had chosen a light coton yukata, which was white with patterns of black branches and black, white and pink plum blossoms. The obi was simple but his nice mauve color complemented the yukata perfectly._

_She had also bought getas and white tabis to complete her outfit._

_Her hair was coiffed into a simple bun decorated with flowers and she had side swept her bang. She had also hidden a fan in her obi._

_In short, she was ready for her first date and she was scared stiff. Jin had told her to meet him at two in front of the Mishima building and it was five to two. Breathing deeplys, she looked at her reflection one last time, praying for her – young Chinese girl in a Japanese costume – to look anything but ridiculous._

_She had been told that nowadays, people would attend festivals dressed in normal outfit, but she had wanted to try anyway._

_She left her room and took the elevator as her heart poundered. The guards greeted her as she crossed the hall and complimented her on her outfit and she blushed. Stress rise when she noticed the dark and tall figure waiting outside._

_Jin was waiting for her in front of the building and she remained speechless._

_He was wearing a black kimono, a white hakama with very thin black strips and a black haori noir. He had had on white tabis and wooden getas._

_It was the first time she had seen him wear such a traditional costume and she had to admit that it fitted him really well; he was more gorgeous than ever._

_When he saw her walking to him, he frowned and screwed up his eyes to distinguish her better._

"_Xiao?" he exclaimed in a surprised voice._

_She immediately thought that she had made a huge mistake in her choice of clothes when she saw him staring at her with wide eyes. Was white supposed to be worn only in spring ? Or was it her obi ?_

_Making a face, she joined him a cracked a forced smile._

"_Is there something wrong with my outfit?"_

"_Hum… No… Not at all, why?"_

"_You looked funny, so I thought I might have made a mistake."_

"_On the contrary, I was just… I mean… Your hair and your… Well… You are beautiful," he said with a sincere smile._

_She felt her cheek burn and a silly smile starting to spread on her lips but she quickly stopped it._

"_Thank you, you look very nice too."_

_He looked embarrassed and shifted in gaze._

"_I feel ridiculous," he admitted. "It's the first time I have worn such an outfit."_

"_Have you ever been to a festival?"_

"_When I was younger, yes, but not since I've been in Tokyo. This is my first."_

"_I feel less alone," she laughed. "Are we going?"_

_He nodded and they walked away…_

.

.

She went out of the elevator that had left her at her studio's floor and looked for her keys in her bag, cursing after the mess there was. When she got them, she looked up and froze, her heart hammering in her chest.

Two persons were standing before her door, leaning on the wall.

She recognized Lars thanks to his funny hairstyle, but not the young woman with him, who had a most stange outfit. A very revealing tunic both mauve and purple, black stockings and her hair died light pink and dark pink…

She was smiling and her large green eyes were filled with gentleness but Xiaoyu felt something strange about her that made her shiver.

Lars stood up straight and smiled at her.

"Good evening, Ling-san."

She remained silent and careful. Even he was behaving in a friendly way, shekept in mind that this man had deserted the Tekken Forces and was Jin's enemy.

"Can we talk to you?" he asked.

"I know who you are," she answered in a cold voice. "Jin told me about you."

"Oh," he looked surprised. "In this case, you must know that I mean no harm to you."

"What proves it?"

"Nothing, you just have my word. We didn't come to fight, we just need to talk to you. About Jin."

She hesitated; weighing the pros and cons, then nodded and opened the door, inviting then to get in. She showed them the sofa in which they sat and she went to make some tea, not wanting to face them right now.

She even put a knife in the pocket of her jean for more safety.

She put the tray on the coffee table, poured the tea in their cups and sat on a chair, opposite to them.

"I'm listening."

"Firstof all, let me introduce my friend, Alisa Boskonovitch," he said as he showed the young woman.

"Nice to meet you," the latter said, bowing.

"Nice to meet you too," Xiaoyu said. "I'm sure I've heard your name before…"

"I don't recall meeting you before," Alisa said with a sorry smile. "But you might know my father, Doctor Bosconovitch."

"Hum… No, I must have heard it by accident..."

She glanced at Lars, who was staring at his friend with kindness.

"If we are here, Ling-san, it's because I think you can help us."

"Help you do what?"

"To stop this war."

She stared at him with wide eyes.

"Me? Are you kidding? How could I possibly help you?"

"You're close to Jin Kazama, you're his friend, surely you have some kind of influence on…"

"No, stop! Everybody keeps tellingme that when it's wrong!" she exclaimed as anger started to rise in her chest.

She was getting sick of all these people who wanted to talk to her and who thought they knew exactly what was going on between Jin and her. Everytime she corrected them, it would remind her that he had changed, that she meant nothing to him and that she was less than a friend to him.

Even if she had more or less dealt with it, it was still a painful reminder.

"I tried to talk to him and to reason with him," she went on, "but he didn't listen! He's obstinate and stubborn! If I cannot make him change his mind, when I'm probably one of the few persons that don't want him dead, then there is no hope left!"

"You know, he didn't start this war immediately after taking control of the Mishima Zaibatsu. He started a campagn of propaganda and disinformation a month after.

"What do you mean?" she asked in a softer voice.

"A few weeks after his taking up of power, he ordered a secrete expedition in Egypt, in hope to find something precise."

"What was it?"

"I don't know, I wasn't captain of theTekken Forces back then and had no access to the files. Only, he became strange after this expedition."

"Strange?"

"He would sometimes have blanks, moments where he would stay motionless, with a far-away look in his eyes while he would hold his head. And he would say bizarre things, like 'Fill the world with negative energy'…, or 'It's the only way out'. After these incidents, he launched this war and went back to… normal."

"This is really weird…"

"I know, and this is why I chose to leave the Tekken Forces. Because I didn't know why we were doing all this : bombing cities, putting down governments, stealing natural ressources… He's never explained the reasons behing this war and I was feeling way too guilty to go on like this."

"There must be a reason," Xiaoyu said. "Jin would usually never ever behave this way."

"Are you sure about that?"

"When we were… well when we lived at the Mishima Zaibatsu, he's never shown such a personnality. On the contrary, he loved peace and nature; he was not a power-hungry tyran."

"Are you sure that you really know him?"

"I know he changed after the third Tekken. He disappeared for two years and came back just to take part in the fourth. He had changed his fighting style and was darker and more reserved. I felt like he was always careful, as if he feared an imminent attack."

"Do you know why he has changed so much?"

"No," she sadly admitted. "I did try to help him and to find out what was on his mind, but he did not confide in me, as if he was hiding something too important. I just know that he had something against his grandfather and father. He once talk about "putting an end to a cursed bloodline", but I didn't understand what he meant."

"You were Heihachi's ward before your majority. Do you know anything about an epitaph from South America that he possessed?"

"An… epitaph?"

"Sorry, I forgot that there are some Japanese words you don't know. An epitaph is a funereal inscription on a gravestone. He discovered it seven years ago. That doesn't ring a bell?"

"Not at all. He's never told about his business and…"

She suddenly stopped, frowning, thinking intensely. Something had just opened and poured twirling thoughts in her mind.

"Seven years ago…" she repeated in a lifeless voice. "Three years before the third tournament… Oh… You mentioned Central America… And the third tournament took place in Mexico…"

"Do you…"

"Wait!" she interrupted him. "I think I'm starting to understand…"

Her mind wadon fire and she was starting to link things between them. There was logic in Heihachi's plans; he would not do anything by accident…

"My grandfather told me about a God of Fight named Toshin, an ancien Aztec God. Heihachi wanted his power and organised the third Tekken to lure the god with powerful fighters. He also told me that Heihachi had raised and trained Jin in the aim of using him as bait."

"So the epitaph was about… Toshin?"

"I'm sure it was! Everything matches: Heihachi finds the epitaph, he takes in Jin whose mother was killed by Toshin and decides to use him to obtain this god's powers."

"What happened to Toshin?"

"He was destroyed. During the finale of the third tournament."

Lars exchanged a glance with Alisa.

"I need to verify with my informers. Some pieces are still missing…"

"My grandfather refused to tell me more about it. It's apparently too dangerous to know the secrets of the Mishimas..."

"Maybe he will tell me more."

"Why?

"Because I'm a Mishima… At least, partly."

Xiaoyu felt like she had been hit with something very heavy. Speachless, she could only think that he did not look like Heihachi or Kazuya.

"But… How… I mean your name is…"

"Alexandersson, I know. I'm Heihachi's illegitimate child, and Kazuya's half-brother. Heihachi has never known about me, he learned about it a few days ago."

Wow. She knew he was not lying; however it was hard to believe.

"Who is your grandfather?"

"Wang Jinrei."

"I've heard about him. He's been close to the Mishimas for decades."

"I'm not sure he'll tell you more," she said. "And I don't want him to be involved in all this. He's an old man and I don't want anything to happen to him…"

"I don't insist," Lars replied as he got up with Alisa. "Only, we have very little time left, Ling-san. The quarter finals are starting tomorrow."

"And?"

"And Jin, Kazuya and Heihachi are among the finalists. The deadline is getting closer and if we don't do anything, the situation is gonna be worse than it already is. Whether you want to help us or not is up to you…"

They reached the door and were about the leave when Xiaoyu remembered something.

"Wait! I remember something Julia Chang told me yesterday! She said something about a prediction, made by an old woman from her tribe. She said that Jin and Kazuya must not fight, otherwise… hum… something awful is gonna happen!"

"Do you believe that?" Lars asked.

"I don't know, Julia looked completely shaken, so I think there might be some truth."

"Thank you," he smiled. "Alisa and I are continuing our researches. If you ever change your mind or learn something, feel free to phone me," he said, handing her his card.

"Thank you…"

A thought crossed her mind and she held Alisa back.

"Bosconovitch!" she exclaimed. "Lei Wulong told me about him! Your father is a scientist!"

"Yes," Alisa answered with surprise.

"Lei told me he had done experiments on Bryan Fury. Do you know about that?"

"Bryan Fury, cyborg created by Doctor Abel after his death and abandonned," she said in a robotic voice, as if she was reciting a lesson. "Saved by Yoshimitsu. A perpetual generator was installed by Doctor Bosconovitch."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Bryan Fury is quasi invincible," she answered with her normal vice. "The adjustements made by my father transformed his body into a weapon of destruction."

"So he can't be defeated?"

"You can damage his generator, but he won't let you."

"Where is it?"

"Inside his right calf."

"His right calf?" Xiaoyu repeated with a lifeless voice.

"Why do you ask about that man?" Lars finally asked.

"My friend is fighting him tomorrow and Inspecteur Wulong told me he was dangerous. I'm scared for him."

"If he hits that spot as hard as he can, he might make it out of order."

"I don't know. I'll try to tell him before his fight."

The young man nodded. Xiaoyu bowed and they did too before leaving.

She stared at the card he had given her without really seeing it, shaken by all these revelations.

Then she remembered her own fight with Heihachi tomorrow evening and she shivered because, after everything Lars had told her, facing him will not be that easy…

.

.

**TBC…**


End file.
